Daily News Analysis » Gravity Hole

Gravity Hole

According to a recent study by IISC the "Gravity Hole" in the Indian Ocean might contain the remains of a former sea that vanished millions of years ago.

About Gravity Hole: 

  • A huge gravity anomaly, or place where gravity differs noticeably from the surrounding areas, is referred to as a “Gravity Hole”. 
  • It is distinguished by a markedly lower gravitational attraction than would be predicted based on the Earth’s typical gravitational field.
  • Gravity holes can have a variety of causes, including geological features, changes in mass distribution, or other elements that have an impact on the gravitational field at a specific location.
  • The phenomenon is anticipated to last for millions more years after having evolved roughly 20 million years ago.

Gravity Hole in the Indian Ocean: 

  • 1948: The Gravity hole or Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL), a prominent oceanic depression, was first identified during a survey by Dutch geophysicist Felix Andries Vening Meinesz.
  • The Gravity Hole is 1,200 kilometers southwest of India’s southernmost tip. 
  • The gravity is weak, therefore, the sea level above the “IOGL” is around 106 meters lower than the normal level for the entire world. 
  • IOGL is 2 million square miles in size and is located more than 600 miles beneath the Earth’s crust.
  • According to the study, the Tethys Ocean, which was a body of water that separated the supercontinents of Gondwana and Laurasia, provided slabs for the IOGL.

Why in news?

  • According to a recent study by IISC the “Gravity Hole” in the Indian Ocean might contain the remains of a former sea that vanished millions of years ago.