A University of Malta scientist has confirmed the Earth’s crust in the Sicily Channel – between Malta, Lampedusa, Pantelleria and Sicily – is thinner than average.
But Matthew Agius, from the Department of Geosciences, quashed concerns this could lead to an increase in seismic activity around the island.
While the crust is normally around 30 kilometres thick, the thickness of the crust to Malta’s west is around 10 kilometres, Agius, who conducted the research alongside scientists from the Università Roma Tre as part of the EU’s GEOMED project, said.
The project was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.“The study confirms our expectations that there would be a thinner crust.
“There are several volcanoes in the area, especially underwater to the west of Malta, and so the findings are in line with what was expected,” Agius said.
“However, this was the first time that such a study was carried out in the area and that it was all mapped out.”
While he was quick to dismiss concerns that the thinner crust could result in increased seismic activity around Malta, Agius said the information explains why the island experiences small earthquakes, that are rarely felt, at least twice a month.
The study will also come in handy in case Malta ever decides to set up a gas pipeline between the island and Tunis.
“It is always important to know and understand what is happening around us,” he noted.
How was the discovery made?
Agius and his team used data from the past 25 years to develop the map outlining the thickness of the crust.
They employed a technique called seismic tomography – similar to a CT scan used on humans.
Using seismic waves generated by earthquakes and explosions, they were able to create computer-generated 3D images of the central Mediterranean region.
They also made use of ambient seismic noise recorded on old and newly available data sets.
The project was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement.