The North American Continent is Dripping Into the Mantle Beneath It

The continent, especially beneath the Midwest is falling.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Thanks in large part to technological advancements, scientists are making incredible discoveries in practically every field. Many of these revelations teach us more about our planet, not just about life inhabiting it and its terrain, but also what Earth is like beneath our feet.

Many of us learned the basics in school, that Earth has many layers and is billions of years old. However, scientists have learned some new and incredible things about Earth’s interior over the last few years. For instance, in March 2025, scientists discovered that the American Midwest is “dripping” into the mantle from its underside.

Quick Geology Lesson

Everything we know about Earth’s interior comes from special sensors called seismographs that detect earthquake vibrations across the planet. Vibrations travel at different speeds as they pass through objects, so scientists can use seismographs to measure these speeds and determine the densities of materials the vibrations pass through.

This has allowed scientists to identify Earth’s various layers, including the four more well-known ones — inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust — along with…