Hidden Forces Tear Ocean Floor Apart

Scientists have uncovered a massive underwater canyon system in the Atlantic Ocean that dwarfs the Grand Canyon, formed not by erosion but by hidden forces deep within the Earth’s mantle that literally tore the ocean floor apart millions of years ago.

Story Snapshot

The King’s Trough Complex stretches over 500 kilometers in the North Atlantic, larger than the Grand Canyon
Tectonic plate separation driven by a mantle plume ripped open the canyon 37 to 24 million years ago
A 2020 expedition and February 2026 study finally explain why this massive structure exists 1,000 kilometers west of Portugal
Discovery challenges traditional erosion models and reveals how deep Earth forces shape ocean floor geology

Mantle Plume Created Weakness in Ocean Crust

The King’s Trough Complex formed when a mantle plume, an early offshoot of what would become the Azores hotspot, thickened and heated the oceanic crust beneath the Atlantic. This heating process weakened the crust mechanically, creating a vulnerable zone that a temporary plate boundary between the European and African plates exploited. The thickened crust made the region susceptible to tectonic forces that would eventually tear it apart in a process researchers describe as a “zipper effect.”

Tectonic Stretching Ripped Canyon Open Over Millions of Years

Between 37 and 24 million years ago, the temporary plate boundary stretched the weakened crust from east to west, creating parallel trenches, deep basins, and the Peake Deep, one of the Atlantic’s deepest points. This tectonic unzipping process continued until the plate boundary shifted southward toward the Azores region, halting the canyon’s expansion. Dr. Antje Dürkefälden from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel led the research team that solved this geological puzzle, stating their results explain for the first time why this remarkable structure developed precisely at this location.

2020 Expedition Provided Critical Evidence

The research vessel METEOR conducted a crucial expedition in 2020, designated M168, involving sophisticated sonar mapping and rock sampling of the King’s Trough Complex. Scientists from GEOMAR collaborated with researchers from Kiel University, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the University of Madison for rock dating analysis, and Portuguese EMEPC for bathymetric data. The expedition gathered physical evidence that underwent years of laboratory analysis, including geochemistry studies and precise dating techniques, culminating in the February 2026 publication in the peer-reviewed journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

Discovery Challenges Traditional Canyon Formation Models

Unlike the Grand Canyon, which formed through river erosion over millions of years, the King’s Trough Complex cannot have formed through water erosion due to its deep ocean location. PD Dr. Jörg Geldmacher, co-author of the study, emphasized that the thickened crust from the mantle plume created the precondition for the plate boundary shift that ripped open the canyon. This discovery fundamentally shifts scientific understanding of submarine canyon formation, demonstrating that massive underwater features can result from tectonic forces and mantle dynamics rather than erosional processes.

Implications for Ocean Floor Geology and Resource Exploration

The findings refine understanding of Atlantic seafloor evolution and improve global tectonic models for predicting mid-ocean ridge dynamics. While the remote deep-ocean location means no direct human communities are affected, the research has practical applications for navigation, deep-sea mining operations, and submarine cable routing. Enhanced seafloor mapping models derived from this research could benefit resource exploration and marine industries. The study advances fundamental Earth science by illuminating how mantle plumes interact with tectonic plates, providing insights relevant to climate modeling and understanding the planet’s internal processes that shape ocean basins worldwide.