A long-lost oceanic plate is diving deep into the mantle, dragging down the crust above, researchers say. However, the plate is also tearing apart below the Zagros Mountains in Iraq as it plunges downward, taking some of the load off the overlying crust.
This tearing process has likely already occurred on the west side of the mountain range, where Iraq's Kurdistan region butts up against Turkey, new research finds. The tear is now heading toward northwest Iran.
