2024-09-05 17:46:35
A vast expanse of earth is unfolding beneath our feet. Down there, there are hidden mountain ranges and magma chambers that intertwine in this intricate geologic ballet. We cannot peel off the soil like a banana skin and look inside. However, humans have developed a technology, magnetotelluricwhich allows us to see the shadows of the depths without exploring the Earth.
Under our feet there is a hidden world, and we have opened a window to look out, reaching depths of up to 30 kilometers below the Earth’s crust. Those who do not believe in humanity so far, those Super-deep collar well or SG-312,262 meters away. We are talking about going almost three times further into the Earth’s interior and without drilling holes in it.
Variations of the earth’s atmosphere are caused by the solar wind
Magnetotellurics is a passive earth prospecting technique. It also does not require artificially generated signals or is not a special resource: it is powered by the Earth’s natural geomagnetic variations, which are driven by the solar wind.
The sun, in its indefatigable activity, emits electrical energy particles, the solar wind. These particles interact with the magnetic field of our planet (the northern lights are the best known effect). What we don’t know is that solar wind particles make changes in the Earth’s interior. We can measure the changes on the surface: they are the shadows we seek to interpret.
This visual representation, although synthetic and of exceptional educational value, aims to illustrate the results of the models obtained by magnetotellurics, showing the underlying structures of the complex and allowing researchers to share the distribution of magma and its energy activity within a volcanic system.
Author provided
X-ray vision
Let’s find ourselves in the heart of the Canary archipelago or under the foothills of the Cantabrian mountain range. Beneath these features are ancient and hidden geological secrets: magmatic chambers that can explain volcanic activity, mountain ranges and faults that reveal the history of the area. All of this is hidden miles underground.
In the Cantabrian mountain range, between hills and valleys, we installed sensors in a delicate balance with natureCapturing the subtle geomagnetic variations of the solar wind, in its endless dance with the Earth, offers us. In Montaña Blanca (Tenerife), among the landscapes that evoke the outer worlds, there are installations to determine the hidden things of the magmatic chambers and different features. The shadows we see are different if you are underground in a magma chamber, or a valley, or a mountain.
With magnetotellurics we can deploy a type of Geological “X-ray vision”, which allows us to reproduce detailed images of these underground structures without having to drill or excavate. And now, generating a map of the interior of our planet, know what minerals it hides, whether there is water or not, whether or not magmatic chambers that can be the origin of a dangerous eruption … In in short, we can see what is hidden.
The language of the Earth is written by the solar wind
The process begins by placing sensors on the surface of the earth that pick up variations in the geomagnetic field. These signs are like the shadows in Plato’s cave: indirect and enigmatic.
To extract information from these differences and describe the behavior of the soil, we use mathematical modeling techniques known as inverse problems.
Through the inverse problem we reconstruct the electrical properties of the subsoil. Just like in the version
This method reveals the invisible. We do not need to cause artificial signals or waste energy on complex equipment; Instead, we simply listen and decipher the language of the Earth, written by the solar wind.
Plato hole
This advancement has deep philosophical implications, reminiscent of the Plato’s Cave Myth. In the legend, chained prisoners can only see shadows projected on the wall, without the option to observe the objects directly affecting them.
Similarly, the inverse problem in magnetotellurics is trying to reveal what structures we cannot see, the ones below the surface, generate those geomagnetic shadows that reach our sensors.
The ontological implications of this approach are profound. By using mathematical models to reproduce the underlying properties, we are not only seeing beyond the surface, but we are also performing an act of understanding and discovery that challenges our normal perceptions. Like the prisoners in Plato’s cave, our view of the world is mediated by the tools and models we use to interpret it.
Solving the inverse problem, at this point, becomes a powerful metaphor for our search for knowledge: a constant dance between perception and meaning, between shadows and light.
Magnetotellurics are a testament to human ingenuity. It allows us to explore the underground world to unprecedented depths, revealing secrets that would otherwise remain hidden. And in this process, he invites us to reflect on our own nature as observers and on the tools we use to understand the world around us.
In the end, every kind of exploration is a way to get closer to truth and knowledge.
#shadows #Earth