London: Based mostly on a brand new analysis, researchers from Derby College have mentioned that there are solely six continents on Earth, not seven. The research claims that the disintegration of two continents has occurred to some extent however it’s not but full. In such a state of affairs, it must be thought-about as one and in accordance with this there are six continents on the planet. This declare has been made by adopting the plate tectonics concept. This concept helps in understanding the motion of the lithospheric plates of the Earth. In response to this, the outer shell of the Earth is split into a number of plates which slide on the rocky inside layer mantle above the core.
In a report printed in Earth.com, a crew of researchers from the College of Derby led by Dr. Jordan Fathian has claimed that there are solely six continents on Earth. The disintegration of the European and North American continents shouldn’t be full. In response to Dr. Fethen, the brand new research signifies that the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates haven’t but actually separated, as historically believed to have occurred 52 million years in the past. The reality is that they’re nonetheless spreading and within the means of breaking.
The brand new research challenges outdated claims
The brand new research is predicated on the research of Iceland, positioned between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Until now it was believed that Iceland was shaped 60 million years in the past as a result of friction within the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The brand new research challenges this concept, which says that Iceland and the Greenland Iceland Faroe Ridge additionally comprise misplaced and submerged fragments of the European and North American continents. Researchers say that these landforms usually are not remoted, however are interconnected elements of a bigger continental construction. The analysis crew has given a brand new id to the geological function – ‘Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau’ or ROMP
Dr. Fithian mentioned, ‘I contemplate this idea to be equal to discovering the misplaced metropolis of Atlantis in earth science. Items of the misplaced continent submerged underneath the ocean and skinny lava flows for kilometers. By learning the event of the rift within the Volcanic Africa area in Africa and evaluating it with the conduct of the earth in Iceland, we’re in a position to see that these two areas are creating in very related methods.’ Nevertheless, the analysis remains to be in its conceptual stage. The report mentioned that the crew plans to discover volcanic rocks in Iceland for extra concrete proof of historic continental crust.