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California's Sierra Nevada Mountains Are 'Peeling Apart'

1/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists from the University of Boulder revealed that California's Sierra Nevada mountains are literally "peeling apart" beneath our feet. Their seismic data uncovered dense rocks detaching and sinking into the mantle, shedding light on a process called foundering that has shaped the continental crust for over three million years.

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Story summary

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists from the University of Boulder revealed that California's Sierra Nevada mountains are literally "peeling apart" beneath our feet. Their seismic data uncovered dense rocks detaching and sinking into the mantle, shedding light on a process called foundering that has shaped the continental crust for over three million years.