Almost submerged: scientists have mapped the invisible eighth continent
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During the study of rock samples, scientists managed to make an improved map of Zealand.
This is reported by phys.org.
A small group of geologists and seismologists obtained specimens for study. Samples were pulled from the bottom of the ocean.
Zealandia is an almost submerged continent that broke away from Australia. Studies indicate that 83 million years ago, the Gondwana supercontinent was torn apart by geological forces. This resulted in the ejection of the continents that exist now.
At the same time, it created another one, which is now flooded. It is believed that the continent of Zealandia is approximately 94% underwater. About 6% are New Zealand and nearby islands.
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Photo: Location map of South Zealand highlighting samples used in this study/researchgate.net |
Zeelandia is submerged under water, so it is not well studied. In a new effort, the research team sought to refine existing maps of the continent using rock samples and sediment samples from drilling sites and island shores.
After that, the team conducted a secondary study – it studied the seismic data of the region. Only then did they create a more perfect map of the entire continent of Zealand with an area of 5 million square meters. km
Geological structures in West Antarctica were also discovered during the research. They indicate the possibility of the existence of a subduction zone near the Campbell Plateau – a linear zone on the verge of collision of lithospheric plates, along which blocks of the earth’s crust of one of them sink under the blocks of the other.
But scientists in this area did not find any magnetic anomalies, which is an argument against the theories about the shift in this region. However, it is assumed that the Campbell magnetic anomaly system arose as a result of the stretching of Gondwana during its breakup.
During this process, the bottom of the ocean was formed, which is located in the lower parts of the continent of Zealand.
The newly improved map shows not only the location of the axis of the magmatic arc of the eighth continent, but also other major geological features.
The full study is published in the journal Tectonics.
Earlier we told that scientists managed to simulate life on planet Earth after 250 million years.
Read also: In part of the Pacific Ocean, the sea level is rising faster than the global average – UN
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