Science & Technology

Huge 'hot blob' is moving toward New York City, study finds

By T.K. Randall
August 8, 2025

Image: New York City
Credit: Karl Döringer / (PD) According to researchers, this anomalous 'blob' - a vast, searing hot mass over 220 miles across - is currently situated beneath the Appalachian Mountains and has been quietly moving southwestward - putting it on a course to pass beneath New York City.

Residents needn't fear, however, because it is moving at a glacial pace of 12 miles per million years, meaning that it will take 10 to 15 million years to actually get there.

Known officially as the Northern Appalachian Anomaly (NAA), this peculiar subterranean feature likely formed 80 million years ago when Greenland began to separate from North America.

Its heat may have even contributed to the uplift of the mountains themselves."Our research suggests it's part of a much larger, slow-moving process deep underground that could potentially help explain why mountain ranges like the Appalachians are still standing," said study lead author Tom Gernon of the University of Southampton.

"Heat at the base of a continent can weaken and remove part of its dense root, making the continent lighter and more buoyant, like a hot air balloon rising after dropping its ballast."

"This would have caused the ancient mountains to be further uplifted over the past few million years."

It is hoped that the research will help to reveal more about the processes that shape Earth's geology.

Source: NDTV.com

Tags: New York