All articles tagged with #deformation
Most atomic nuclei are not round but are often deformed into shapes like prolate or pear-shaped, challenging the traditional view of spherical nuclei. This deformation is linked to quantum mechanical properties and collective behaviors within the nucleus, with most nuclei exhibiting a prolate shape, and the reasons behind these shapes remain an open question in nuclear physics.
Computer models confirm that the African Superplume is responsible for the unusual, rift-parallel deformation observed beneath the Earth's largest continental rift system, the East African Rift System. The deformation that comes with continental rifting usually follows predictable directional patterns in relation to the rift, but the East African Rift System has both rift-perpendicular and rift-parallel deformations. The study's findings could help clear up scientific debate on which plate-driving forces dominate the rift system, accounting for both its rift-perpendicular and rift-parallel deformation: lithospheric buoyancy forces, mantle traction forces, or both.