News
Lanka’s southern waters hide a gravity anomaly that baffles scientists
One of the most puzzling phenomena lies beneath the Indian Ocean, south of Sri Lanka, where a massive gravity anomaly known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL) has confounded researchers for decades, said a report published by The Brighter Side News.
It said that this anomaly, marked by a dramatic 106-meter drop in the ocean’s surface, is the lowest geoid anomaly on Earth. Its origin remains a mystery, making it one of the most intriguing unresolved problems in Earth sciences. “The existence of the Indian Ocean Geoid Low is one of the most outstanding problems in Earth Sciences,” says Prof. Attreyee Ghosh, an assistant professor at the Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
It said: The ground beneath you may seem stable, but the Earth is in a state of constant motion. While we have a solid understanding of the Earth’s surface, its interior remains largely unexplored. Even with all our technological advancements, we still haven’t developed probes capable of reaching the Earth’s crust, which is just 35 kilometers deep. To uncover the mysteries of the Earth’s core and mantle, we rely on indirect methods.
Though the Earth may look like a perfect blue sphere from space, it’s actually more like a lumpy, misshapen potato. This uneven shape is due to the non-uniform distribution of matter inside the planet, which creates variations in gravity. The movement of tectonic plates, which form mountains and valleys, also contributes to these deformations.
Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, so these irregularities also affect the shape of the ocean. Without tides and currents, the ocean water would settle into a smooth, wave-like form called a geoid. This geoid rises in areas where gravity is strong and sinks where gravity is weak. These variations in the ocean’s surface, known as “geoid anomalies,” are caused by the distribution of mass deep within the Earth.
One of the most intriguing geoid anomalies is located south of Sri Lanka. Known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL), this massive area is characterized by a significant drop in gravity, causing the ocean surface to dip 106 meters. This “gravity hole” has puzzled scientists for decades.
In a recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters, Prof. Ghosh and her colleagues, along with researchers from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, investigated the missing mass causing the geoid low.
Past studies attributed it to a remnant of an ancient plate that dived into the mantle beneath another plate millions of years ago, but there had been no convincing explanation until now.
Using numerical models of mantle convection, the researchers explained the mass deficit. Mantle convection involves movement within the Earth’s mantle, where hotter, lighter material rises, and cooler, denser material sinks due to gravity. This movement was driven by seismic tomography models, which use seismic waves to create a 3-dimensional picture of the Earth’s interior.
The researchers discovered that ‘low-density anomalies’—the presence of lighter materials in the upper to mid-mantle beneath the IOGL—caused the gravity low in this region. Mantle plumes, or rising abnormally hot rock, can result in low-density anomalies.
However, no known mantle plume exists beneath the IOGL. Instead, they found hot material rising from the African large low-shear-velocity province (LLSVP) or the African superplume, near the IOGL, which gets deflected eastward and terminates beneath the IOGL. The deflection is possibly due to the fast motion of the Indian plate.
The researchers used supercomputers to simulate how the area could have formed, going as far back as 140 million years. “The Earth is basically a lumpy potato,” said Ghosh. “Technically, it’s not a sphere, but what we call an ellipsoid, because as the planet rotates, the middle part bulges outward.”
To find a potential answer, Ghosh and her colleagues used computer models to set the clock back 140 million years in order to see the big picture, geologically. “We have some information and some confidence about what the Earth looked like back then,” she said. “The continents and the oceans were in very different places, and the density structure was also very different.”
From that starting point, the team ran 19 simulations up to the present day, recreating the shifting of tectonic plates and the behaviour of magma inside the mantle. In six scenarios, a geoid low similar to the one in the Indian Ocean formed. The distinguishing factor in all six models was the presence of plumes of magma around the geoid low, believed to be responsible for the formation of the “gravity hole.”
The plumes themselves originated from the disappearance of an ancient ocean as India’s landmass drifted and eventually collided with Asia tens of millions of years ago. “India was in a very different place 140 million years ago, and there was an ocean between the Indian plate and Asia. India started moving north and as it did, the ocean disappeared, and the gap with Asia closed,” Ghosh explained.
As the oceanic plate went down inside the mantle, it could have spurred the formation of the plumes, bringing low-density material closer to Earth’s surface.
“A geoid low or a negative geoid anomaly would be caused by a mass deficit within the deep mantle. Our study explains this low with hotter, lighter material stretching from a depth of 300 km up to ~900 km in the northern Indian Ocean, most likely stemming from the African superplume,” says Prof. Ghosh.
…Urges President not to undermine public confidence in independence of judiciary
The Colombo Law Society has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to proceed with any constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges, warning that such a move could undermine public confidence in the independence of the judiciary.
In a letter dated July 2, 2026, the Society said its Executive Committee had unanimously resolved to convey its concerns following reports of a proposal to increase the retirement age of judges of the superior courts.
The Society said any amendment affecting the tenure of sitting judges should be approached with caution, adding that public confidence in the independence of the judiciary must be safeguarded.
Full text of the letter: The Executive Committee of the Colombo Law Society, at its duly convened meeting held on 25 June 2026, deliberated extensively on the reported proposal to increase the retirement age of Judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Having carefully considered the matter, the Executive Committee unanimously resolved to convey its concerns to Your Excellency and to express its support for the position taken by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka in its letter addressed to Your Excellency, dated 25 May, 2026.
The Colombo Law Society recognizes and appreciates the invaluable contribution made by members of the higher judiciary to the administration of justice in Sri Lanka. However, we respectfully take the view that any alteration to the constitutionally established retirement age of Superior Court Judges must be approached with the utmost caution and only after broad consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
The existing retirement ages of Judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have remained unchanged since the promulgation of the 1978 Constitution. Any departure from this long-standing constitutional framework, particularly where it affects serving judges, may give rise to public concern and perceptions that could undermine confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
The independence of the judiciary is one of the cornerstones of the Rule of Law and democratic governance. Equally important is the public perception of such independence. The judiciary must not only be independent in fact but must also be seen to be independent and free from any appearance of influence or accommodation.
The Colombo Law Society further notes that the number of Judges of both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court was increased through constitutional reform in 2020. In those circumstances, questions naturally arise as to whether there exists a compelling institutional necessity to alter the retirement age of Superior Court Judges at this juncture.
We respectfully submit that constitutional amendments relating to the judiciary should be undertaken only after careful consideration of their long-term impact on judicial independence, public confidence, and the constitutional framework of the Republic.
Accordingly, the Colombo Law Society respectfully urges Your Excellency to give the fullest consideration to the concerns expressed by the legal profession and to refrain from proceeding with any constitutional amendment seeking to extend the retirement age of Judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
We remain confident that Your Excellency will continue to uphold and safeguard the independence, integrity, dignity, and public confidence in the judiciary, which remain essential to the preservation of the Rule of Law and democratic governance in Sri Lanka.
News
Freedom 250: US Embassy celebrates America’s 250th Independence Day through magic of American cinema
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka commemorated America’s semiquincentennial—250 years of independence—with Chief Guest, Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa, and hundreds of Sri Lankan partners, government officials, business leaders, diplomats and friends of the United States, at a Freedom 250 celebration honouring the enduring power of freedom through the lens of American cinema. The July 2 celebration highlighted the ideals that have shaped the United States for two and a half centuries—individual liberty, self-government, freedom of expression, and the belief that free people can dream, create, and shape their own future. The Embassy grounds were transformed into an immersive cinematic experience, celebrating how American films have reflected those freedoms while inspiring audiences across generations and around the world, including in Sri Lanka.
Welcoming guests to the celebration, Chargé d’Affaires Jayne Howell reflected on the profound connection between American freedom and cinematic storytelling. “Tonight, we celebrate 250 years of American independence by honouring one of our nation’s greatest gifts to the world—the art of cinema,” she said.
“For more than a century, American filmmakers have used their creative freedom to craft stories that resonate across every border and culture. From the opening of the world’s first dedicated movie theater in New Orleans, in 1896, to the groundbreaking animation of Snow White, from the sweeping epics like The Godfather to the technological marvels of Avatar, Star Wars and Jurassic Park, and classics like The Bridge on the River Kwai—filmed in Sri Lanka and forever linking the island to Hollywood history—our films reflect the very freedoms we celebrate today—the freedom to dream boldly, to question deeply, and to imagine new possibilities.”
CDA Howell continued, “As we share this cinematic journey with our Sri Lankan friends—fellow champions of democracy and freedom—we’re reminded that the best American stories are universal stories. They speak to the courage we see in The Wizard of Oz, the unity we witness in The Avengers, the wonder we experience through E.T., the spirit of exploration and achievement captured in films like Apollo 11, and the resilience we admire in Forrest Gump. Tonight, we celebrate not just American cinema, but the freedom that makes it possible—the freedom to tell any story, to show America at its best and its most complex, and to believe that movies can change how we see ourselves and each other. That freedom is what we honour on this 250th anniversary and the enduring values that will guide us forward.”
The evening opened with a stunning visual spectacle: rooftop screens displayed on the Embassy building celebrating 250 years of American independence and commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The centerpiece was an open-air screening, under the stars, featuring carefully curated clips that traced American cinema’s evolution—from silent films that established visual storytelling techniques still used today, through Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first full-length animated feature), The Matrix’s groundbreaking “bullet time” effects, to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which redefined superhero cinema as a vehicle for exploring complex questions about justice and society.
The celebration concluded with fireworks illuminating the Colombo sky as the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band, the US Marine Corps’ forward-deployed band in the Indo-Pacific region, based in Okinawa, Japan, performed a montage of American songs that have inspired generations. Guests enjoyed a menu featuring high-quality US beef and other American food and beverages, showcasing the global reputation of American agricultural exports.
As the United States marks 250 years of independence, Freedom 250 celebrates the enduring idea that has defined America since 1776—that freedom unlocks human potential, fuels creativity and innovation, and empowers individuals to shape a better future. Through education, trade, investment, security cooperation, and the enduring ties between our people, the United States and Sri Lanka continue to strengthen a partnership built on opportunity and shared democratic values.
The US Embassy extends its sincere gratitude to the generous sponsors whose support made this year’s Independence Day celebration possible, including Diamond Sponsors Brandix, Hayleys, Hirdaramani, MAS Holdings, Mastercard, RM Parks, and Visa, along with our other valued partners.
News
CA dismisses application filed by Yoshitha seeking to quash conspiracy charge in money laundering case
The Court of Appeal yesterday dismissed a revision application filed by Yoshitha Rajapaksa seeking to quash a conspiracy charge in the money laundering case, pending before the Colombo High Court.
Rajapaksa had challenged the conspiracy count in the indictment filed by the Attorney General, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, contending that the charge was not legally maintainable.
A Court of Appeal Bench, comprising Justices Amal Ranaraja and Dr. Sumudu Premachandra, rejected the application, ruling that the conspiracy charge could proceed before the Colombo High Court.
The ruling clears the way for the High Court to continue hearing the money laundering case, filed by the Attorney General against Rajapaksa.
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Colombo Law Society objects to judges’ retirement age move
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