L|A
Earth.com staff writer
Geologists have long viewed North America and Europe as separate continents, yet new studies suggest there might be more complexity beneath the surface of Earth’s oceans.
Ongoing research has revealed hints of buried land that stretches from Greenland through Iceland to the Faroe Islands.
At the center of this conversation is the concept that these tectonic plates could still be pulling apart in unexpected ways. Some experts say this updated view could affect how we classify continents in the future.
One of the researchers behind these developments is Dr Jordan Phethean, a lecturer in Earth Science at the University of Derby.
He worked alongside a global team, including collaborators from Switzerland, Italy, and the USA, to study what lies beneath Iceland’s volcanic layers.
By examining how rifting occurs in both places, they identified a newly defined feature called a Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau, or ROMP.
Their work suggests the North American and Eurasian plates have not finished splitting, despite previous estimates that this separation happened tens of millions of years ago. According to recent evidence, the process is still underway.
Disputing Earth’s continents
Many geologists once believed the North American and Eurasian plates fully ruptured about 52 million years ago.
They now see ongoing tension that, if confirmed, could merge North America and Europe into a single large body.
“They are, in fact, still stretching and in the process of breaking apart,” Dr Phethean explained. This reinterpretation challenges our standard teaching of how the continents evolved.
Earth only has six continents, not seven, according to a new study
By Jordan JosephEarth.com staff writer
Geologists have long viewed North America and Europe as separate continents, yet new studies suggest there might be more complexity beneath the surface of Earth’s oceans.
Ongoing research has revealed hints of buried land that stretches from Greenland through Iceland to the Faroe Islands.
At the center of this conversation is the concept that these tectonic plates could still be pulling apart in unexpected ways. Some experts say this updated view could affect how we classify continents in the future.
One of the researchers behind these developments is Dr Jordan Phethean, a lecturer in Earth Science at the University of Derby.
He worked alongside a global team, including collaborators from Switzerland, Italy, and the USA, to study what lies beneath Iceland’s volcanic layers.
Iceland’s geology and Africa’s rift zones
Researchers found similarities between an area in Africa known as the Afra region and the formation of Iceland.By examining how rifting occurs in both places, they identified a newly defined feature called a Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau, or ROMP.
Their work suggests the North American and Eurasian plates have not finished splitting, despite previous estimates that this separation happened tens of millions of years ago. According to recent evidence, the process is still underway.
Disputing Earth’s continents
Many geologists once believed the North American and Eurasian plates fully ruptured about 52 million years ago.
They now see ongoing tension that, if confirmed, could merge North America and Europe into a single large body.
“They are, in fact, still stretching and in the process of breaking apart,” Dr Phethean explained. This reinterpretation challenges our standard teaching of how the continents evolved.
