Congratulate yourself for finding your lost keys? That’s nothing compared to the recent discovery of an entire lost continent by scientists. They have managed to piece together a geological puzzle and locate a microcontinent called Argoland, which broke off from western Australia millions of years ago due to shifting tectonic plates, as reported by IFL Science. Geologists from Utrecht University have spent seven years tracking the whereabouts of this 3,107-mile-long stretch of land and have determined that it shattered into smaller fragments that are now buried underground and under the sea. According to author Eldert Advokaat, “Argoland splintered into many different shards, unlike the clean break seen in other continents like Africa and South America.”
The findings of this research study, published in the journal Gondwana Research, focused on the Argo Abyssal Plain off the northwest coast of Australia. The structure of this deep ocean basin indicated that Argoland moved towards southeast Asia. However, instead of remaining as one large land mass, it fragmented into what scientists now refer to as an “Argopelago.” Advokaat explains, “We were literally dealing with islands of information, which is why our research took so long. We spent seven years piecing together the puzzle.” As per a press release from Utrecht University on Phys.org, some parts of Argoland are now below sea level, while other sections are buried beneath the jungles of Indonesia and Myanmar. Similar submerged continents include Zeelandia, east of Australia, and Greater Adria in southern Europe, which is nearly entirely submerged beneath the Earth’s mantle.
Utrecht University geologist Douwe van Hinsbergen emphasizes the significance of studying the history of shifting continents in understanding the Earth’s past. He states, “If continents can disappear completely into the mantle without any geological trace at the Earth’s surface, it would be extremely challenging to reconstruct former supercontinents and the geography of past eras.” By examining the evolution of Earth’s continents over time, scientists gain insights into the formation of mountains, the movement of tectonic plates, and the impact of biodiversity and climate change. (Read more geology stories).
