What’s ‘The Blob’ That’s NEARING NEW YORK?
A massive heat anomaly hidden beneath the Appalachian Mountains is slowly drifting toward New York, raising concerns over future geological upheaval.
At a Glance
• A 220-mile-wide mantle anomaly sits ~125 miles beneath the Appalachians
• It originated 80 million years ago during continental rifting between Greenland and North America
• The blob moves southwest at ~12 miles per million years, expected to arrive beneath NYC in 10–15 million years
• The heat zone may be responsible for keeping the Appalachians elevated
• A twin anomaly under Greenland influences ice sheet dynamics
Deep Heat on the Move
Buried more than 200 kilometers beneath the Earth’s crust, the Northern Appalachian Anomaly is a slowly migrating mass of superheated rock unlike anything else in eastern North America. Geophysicists believe it originated during the breakup of Greenland and North America nearly 80 million years ago, forming from deep mantle convection and residual thermal waves.
The mass, which spans nearly 220 miles in diameter, is inching southwest over geological timescales. Though imperceptible in the human lifespan, its direction and pace are measurable: about 12 miles every million years. That trajectory is slowly bringing it toward the New York City region—potentially arriving beneath it in the next 10–15 million years.
Watch now: Giant Hot Blob Under Appalachians Heading to New York · YouTube
Why It Matters
Despite relentless erosion over tens of millions of years, the Appalachian Mountains have remained mysteriously buoyant. This anomaly could be the reason. By weakening and heating the base of the North American plate, the blob helps support the mountain range’s height, creating a natural resistance to geological leveling.
Once the thermal surge moves past, experts theorize that parts of the Appalachian region may begin to subside, potentially altering drainage basins and long-term landscape evolution. Cities built atop structurally reinforced crust could face entirely new fault dynamics in the far future.
Earth’s Hidden Machinery
What was once dismissed as dormant geology is now being reexamined. Scientists believe this blob—and a similar one under Greenland—shows that ancient tectonic events can leave behind residual mantle flows that remain active for over 100 million years. These residual heat sources may influence everything from crustal uplift to glacial melting.
The Greenland twin, for instance, may be weakening the base of its overlying ice sheet—adding another layer of complexity to predictions about sea level rise. As for the U.S. Northeast, the next chapter of deep Earth movement is already underway, far beneath our feet.