News
Scientists discover ‘gravity hole’ in Indian Ocean
Scientists have endeavored to unravel the enigmatic presence of a “gravity hole” beneath the Indian Ocean’s depths, said a report by the msn.com yesterday
It said: Despite ongoing model simulations, clarity remained elusive until the release of pivotal research in May 2023.
The “gravity hole” is officially called the Indian Ocean geoid low (IOGL) and covers about 1.2 million square miles. It was first discovered by Dutch geophysicist Felix Andries Vening Meinesz in 1948, but has since remained a mystery, reports Scientific American.
However, this “hole” isn’t somewhere all the water in the ocean could drain away, but rather, where the Earth’s gravity is lower than average.
However, thanks to a May 2023 study, scientists finally know why the Earth has a “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean.
We may think of Earth as a perfectly round sphere, but in truth, “The Earth is basically a lumpy potato,” says May 2023 research study coauthor Attreyee Ghosh, a geophysicist, to CNN. The study, originally published in Geophysicist Research Letters, resulted from the team performing 19 computer simulations to recreate how tectonic plates and magma formed inside the Earth’s mantle.
In six of the 19 scenarios, the Earth formed a geoid low similar to the one in the Indian Ocean. According to the study, researchers determined that the IOGL exists because of a specific mantle structure, plus a similar disturbance under Africa known as the “African Large Low Shear Velocity Province” (LLSVP) or “African blob.”
“What we’re seeing is that hot, low-density material coming from this LLSVP underneath Africa is sitting underneath the Indian Ocean and creating this geoid low,” Ghosh told Scientific American.
The study’s abstract concluded that “sinking Tethyan slabs perturbed the African Large Low Shear Velocity province and generated plumes beneath the Indian Ocean, which led to the formation of this negative geoid anomaly.”
These slabs are remnants of the seafloor from the Tethys Ocean, located between two supercontinents more than 200 million years ago. When subducted slabs of old ocean sank inside the mantle and created a large magma plume, the IOGL was born!
In summary, when scientists had the technology to create models dating from 140 million years ago to the present, they were able to discover such an interesting new fact.
News
Children should gain experience through activities such as aesthetics and sports from the primary education stage – PM
Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated that if Sri Lanka is to nurture the future leaders, children must be exposed from the primary education itself to the experiences and values gained through fields such as aesthetics and sports.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the “Punchi Hapannu 2026” occasion to recognize and appreciate the winners of the Primary Literary Skills, held on Thursday [8 June]at Polpithigama National School during an educational inspection tour in the Kurunegala District.
The event was organized to recognize the winners of the “Punchi Hapannu 2026” Language and Literary Skills Competition, which was conducted with the participation of students from 49 primary schools in the Polpithigama Education Division, based on a concept initiated by the Divisional Director of Education. The occasion was further featured by aesthetic performances presented by students who had won across 17 different competition categories.
During the event, certificates were awarded to the winners by the Prime Minister.
Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister further stated:
“The initiative undertaken within the Polpithigama Education Division is an example for the entire country. Primary education is a broad and multifaceted field. The foundation provided through primary education is important in guiding a child along the right path. A child has only one opportunity in life to experience primary education, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this opportunity is provided in the most appropriate way.
Today, we witnessed how effectively the children of the Polpithigama Education Division utilized the opportunity given to them to creatively showcase their aesthetic talents. Likewise, we are striving to build an education system that provides opportunities for children across Sri Lanka to develop their hidden talents”.
Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister visited Makulpotha Maha Vidyalaya in the Polpithigama Education Division and layed the foundation-stone for a new two-storey school building.
The construction project, implemented with an investment of Rs. 45 million, is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and handed over for students in January 2027.
The event was graced by the presence of members of the Maha Sangha, and attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Kurunegala District Member of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Geetha Herath, education officials of the North Western Province, parents, principals, and several other invitees.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
News
Inaugural session of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya Student Parliament held at the Presidential Secretariat
The inaugural session of the Student Parliament of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Colombo, was held on Friday (19) morning at the Old Parliament Chamber of the Presidential Secretariat.
The event was organised under the ‘Vision’ programme series, a joint initiative of the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya was selected to participate in this programme as part of the initiative.
During the event, Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hemali Weerasekara, addressed the students on leadership, personality development and parliamentary traditions.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage, explained the role of the President’s Fund and highlighted the programmes implemented for the benefit of school students.
Senior Presidential Adviser on Science and Technology, Professor Gomika Udugamasooriya, emphasised that life’s challenges can be overcome by critically examining every experience. He also highlighted the importance of encouraging children, from their school years onward, to explore diverse fields beyond a single subject area and to develop an innovative mindset through experimentation and discovery.
Among those present were Director General of Public Relations to the President, Dharmasiri Gamage, Director (Communications) of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Samantha Mallawarachchi, Deputy Director (Administration) of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Chintha Madhubhashini, Director of the Tri-Forces Coordination Unit at the Presidential Secretariat, Air Commodore Asiri Gallage; Assistant Director Lieutenant Colonel Nadeeka Dangolla; Principal of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Dr. Sumedha Jayaweera; Principal of Ananda College, Colombo, D. M. Lal Dissanayake; as well as teachers, parents and students.
(PMD)
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Jay Shah, Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), was held on Friday (19) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
Children should gain experience through activities such as aesthetics and sports from the primary education stage – PM
Inaugural session of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya Student Parliament held at the Presidential Secretariat
ICC Chairman Meets President
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