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| Aerial Mauritius Photo |
Micro Continent Found in Underwater Ancient India. The remains of a micro continent, known to scientists as Mauritia, probably hiding under a large number of ancient lava beneath the Indian Ocean, according to a new analysis on the sandy islands in the area.
This finding suggests that symptoms such as micro continent occurred more frequently than previously thought, say scientists who conducted the research; details about the research published online on February 24 in the journal "Nature Geosience".
The researchers analyzed sand from the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean. Mauritius is part of a chain of volcanoes, oddly enough, being away from the edge of tectonic plates. In contrast, most volcanoes are found in the tectonic plates that form the earth's surface.
The researchers found that the volcanic chain in the middle of tectonic plates, such as the Hawaiian Islands, is caused by a giant pillar of hot molten rock known as magma layer (mantle plume). Lining up from near the Earth's core, it penetrates materials like welding torches.
Magma layer was found to trigger the separation of a continent, to soften up the tectonic plates of the broken layers. A magma is now near Mauritius and other islands, and the researchers wanted to see if they could find fragments of the ancient continent of existing faults.
Digging in the sand
Mauritius is a beach sand erosion remnants of volcanic rock that was created by the eruption of 9 million years ago. Collecting sand "is actually pretty fun, '" said researcher Ebbe Hartz, a geologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. He described walking out of a tropical beach, "perhaps with Coca Cola and a box of ice cubes, and you dig beneath the water to the dunes at low tide."
In sand, the researchers found about 20 grains of ancient zircons (a type of mineral) aged between 660 million and 1970 million years old. To learn more about the source of these ancient zircons, the scientists investigated the satellite map of Earth's magnetic field. Field depends on the field strength of the Earth's mass, and because the mass of the planet uneven gravitational field is stronger in some places on the surface of the planet and weak in other areas.
Mauritus discovery made by researchers are part of the adjacent tracts abnormally thick crust that extends in an arc north to the islands of Seychelles. Findings indicate Mauritius and the adjacent areas of ancient micro-continent beset they call Mauritia. Ancient zircons they dug a fraction Mauritia missing.
The researchers sought carefully to eliminate any chance for the ancient zircon grains contaminated from elsewhere. Zircon is a mineral heavy, and elements uranium and lead were used to determine the age of zircon is unusually heavy, so that the grains are not easily fly anywhere - they do not blow into Mauritius from sandstorms in Africa. "Hartz said to OurAmazingPlanet.
We also chose the beach there is not any construction - that zircon does not come from somewhere else in the cement, "said Hartz. "We also take care that all the equipment we use to collect minerals are new tools, this is the first time the equipment is used, and no rock sticking out of the place before.
Peeling piece of the continent
After analyzing the fault zone of the sea and oceanic magnetic anomalies, the researchers found Maurita separated from Madagascar, fragmented and scattered over the Indian Ocean basin spread of between 61 million and 83.5 million years ago. Since then, the activity of the volcano has been buried under a lava Mauritia, and may have done the same thing to other continents fragment.
"All the little slices of the continent is likely to peel off from the continent (main) when the hot spot of magma layer passes underneath," says Hartz. "Why it happened is still confusing. Why, after something broke apart, the thing will be torn apart again ? "
The discovery of evidence of the past about the lost continent typically involves crushing and sorting of volcanic rock, Hartz said. Basically, the researchers let nature do the work for them to see the pulverization of existing sand.
"We suggested to the scientists to try this technique on his favorite volcano," Hartz lid.
This finding suggests that symptoms such as micro continent occurred more frequently than previously thought, say scientists who conducted the research; details about the research published online on February 24 in the journal "Nature Geosience".
The researchers analyzed sand from the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean. Mauritius is part of a chain of volcanoes, oddly enough, being away from the edge of tectonic plates. In contrast, most volcanoes are found in the tectonic plates that form the earth's surface.
The researchers found that the volcanic chain in the middle of tectonic plates, such as the Hawaiian Islands, is caused by a giant pillar of hot molten rock known as magma layer (mantle plume). Lining up from near the Earth's core, it penetrates materials like welding torches.
Magma layer was found to trigger the separation of a continent, to soften up the tectonic plates of the broken layers. A magma is now near Mauritius and other islands, and the researchers wanted to see if they could find fragments of the ancient continent of existing faults.
Digging in the sand
Mauritius is a beach sand erosion remnants of volcanic rock that was created by the eruption of 9 million years ago. Collecting sand "is actually pretty fun, '" said researcher Ebbe Hartz, a geologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. He described walking out of a tropical beach, "perhaps with Coca Cola and a box of ice cubes, and you dig beneath the water to the dunes at low tide."
In sand, the researchers found about 20 grains of ancient zircons (a type of mineral) aged between 660 million and 1970 million years old. To learn more about the source of these ancient zircons, the scientists investigated the satellite map of Earth's magnetic field. Field depends on the field strength of the Earth's mass, and because the mass of the planet uneven gravitational field is stronger in some places on the surface of the planet and weak in other areas.
Mauritus discovery made by researchers are part of the adjacent tracts abnormally thick crust that extends in an arc north to the islands of Seychelles. Findings indicate Mauritius and the adjacent areas of ancient micro-continent beset they call Mauritia. Ancient zircons they dug a fraction Mauritia missing.
The researchers sought carefully to eliminate any chance for the ancient zircon grains contaminated from elsewhere. Zircon is a mineral heavy, and elements uranium and lead were used to determine the age of zircon is unusually heavy, so that the grains are not easily fly anywhere - they do not blow into Mauritius from sandstorms in Africa. "Hartz said to OurAmazingPlanet.
We also chose the beach there is not any construction - that zircon does not come from somewhere else in the cement, "said Hartz. "We also take care that all the equipment we use to collect minerals are new tools, this is the first time the equipment is used, and no rock sticking out of the place before.
Peeling piece of the continent
After analyzing the fault zone of the sea and oceanic magnetic anomalies, the researchers found Maurita separated from Madagascar, fragmented and scattered over the Indian Ocean basin spread of between 61 million and 83.5 million years ago. Since then, the activity of the volcano has been buried under a lava Mauritia, and may have done the same thing to other continents fragment.
"All the little slices of the continent is likely to peel off from the continent (main) when the hot spot of magma layer passes underneath," says Hartz. "Why it happened is still confusing. Why, after something broke apart, the thing will be torn apart again ? "
The discovery of evidence of the past about the lost continent typically involves crushing and sorting of volcanic rock, Hartz said. Basically, the researchers let nature do the work for them to see the pulverization of existing sand.
"We suggested to the scientists to try this technique on his favorite volcano," Hartz lid.
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