Scientists discover more about two huge 'islands' hidden beneath Earth's surface

The 'islands' are more than a hundred times taller than the world's highest mountain, Everest

Scientists have discovered more information about two huge 'islands' that are hidden beneath the Earth's surface.

Found deep in the mantle, more than 1,000 miles underground, they are the size of a continent.

Not only that, they are also hundreds of miles taller than the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.

Experts now think believe they are at least half a billion years old.

What did scientists discover?

One of the hidden 'islands' is located beneath the Pacific Ocean

Scientists have known for years that two 'islands' are located at the border between the Earth's core and mantle.

One is known to exist under the continent of Africa, while the other can be found Pacific Ocean.

Both are hidden around 1,200 miles below the Earth's surface.

The team from Utrecht University in the Netherlands decided to take a closer look and find out more details about these 'super-continents' found deep underground.

Experts discovered that the 'islands' are much hotter than the surrounding slabs of the Earth's crust.

Their research also suggests that they are much older too - perhaps by many millions of years.

Professor Arwen Deuss from Utrecht University, who was involved with the study explained: "Nobody knew what they are, and whether they are only a temporary phenomenon, or if they have been sitting there for millions or perhaps even billions of years."

These observations go against the idea that the Earth's mantle is well-mixed and fast flowing.

"There is less flow in Earth's mantle than is commonly thought," the team added.

Knowledge of the Earth's mantle is important to understanding the evolution of our planet.