The plate completely disappeared from the face of the Earth about 20 million years ago, that is, it existed for at least 140 million years, and maybe more.
A PhD candidate in plate tectonics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Suzanne Van de Lagemaat and her colleagues discovered an ancient megaplate that existed on Earth about 160 million years ago. It covers an area of 38.8 million square kilometers, which is about a quarter of the modern Pacific Ocean. The Daily Mail writes about it.
The discovery was made while studying the most complex region of Earth’s tectonic plates – the area around the Philippines. This region is mostly made up of oceanic crust.
“Over time, the plate slowly sinks and rubs together over millions of years, being increasingly pulled by gravity under the neighboring plate. This tectonic megaplate is called Pontus. It existed 20 million years ago ago, but its size before that time was greatly reduced. There are many plates that were once on the surface of our planet, but disappeared over time,” the scientists said.
According to them, Pontus existed 160 million years ago, but in fact this tectonic plate may be much older.
It was also determined that the plate completely disappeared from the face of the Earth about 20 million years ago, that is, it existed for at least 140 million years, and maybe more.
Photo: Gondwana Research
Pont is highlighted in pink at different times: 50 million years ago, 100 million years ago and 150 million years ago
Let’s remember that early researchers said that the tectonic plates of Africa and Arabia collided in the desert and gradually separated for about 30 million years. According to them, the same movement divided the Red Sea.
The mystery of the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates has been solved
New Correspondent.net on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels Athletistic and WhatsApp
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.