It is widely accepted that the world is made up of the continents of Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. However, new findings suggest that this may not be true. Dr. Jordan Phethean, a researcher at the University of Derby, and his team believe that there are now only six continents in the world. This surprising idea emerged from a study examining geological changes in Europe and North America. The study examines how the land masses have changed over millions of years. Phethean, from the University of Derby, says that this study changes the way we understand tectonic plates. “While the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates were traditionally thought to have separated 52 million years ago, this discovery shows that the continents have not yet truly separated,” he said.
OUR UNDERSTANDING IS CHANGING
According to research by Dr. Jordan Phethean and his team, these plates are still slowly drifting apart. This ongoing process is changing our understanding of how Earth’s continents form and separate. The study focuses on Iceland, a volcanic island located between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. People have long believed that Iceland was formed by the mid-Atlantic ridge about 60 million years ago. It was thought that the ridge between the North American and Eurasian plates formed the island. However, recent findings refute this idea. AAfter a detailed study of tectonic movements in Africa, researchers have proposed an intriguing new theory. According to it, Iceland and Greenland, the Iceland-Faroe Islands Ridge, contain geological fragments from both the European and North American tectonic plates.
AMERICA IS NOT A SEPARATE CONTINENT
According to the research, this finding means that these areas are not simply separate landforms, but part of a larger continental structure. The researchers call the newly identified feature a Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau (ROMP). Dr. Phethean said in his research: “The fragments of the lost continent submerged under the sea and the thin lava flows stretching for kilometers bear strong similarities between the volcanic Afar region in Africa and Iceland. The continents of Europe and North America are still breaking apart. This means that scientifically, North America and Europe can be considered one continent rather than two separate continents.“
RESEARCH CONTINUES
While the research is still in its early stages, the team plans to examine volcanic rocks in Iceland for more evidence of ancient continental crust, using plate tectonic modeling and computer simulations to better understand how ROMP occurs.
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