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Everyone knows the Adriatic Sea, but there is much more hidden beneath it – researchers from the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland have discovered a lost continent.
The land masses of the earth have looked quite different before, that is well known. Because the continents that we know today as Africa, Europe, Australia and Co. have shifted and changed over time. Researchers at the University of Utrecht have taken a closer look at ancient tectonics using a new method – and discovered a continent that lies between Europe and Africa.
Greater Adriatic: Research team from the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland reconstruct continent
As the researchers explain, the Mediterranean is one of the most complicated regions in the world in a geological sense. For the first time ever, scientists have now ventured to reconstruct the history of the mountain ranges. Over a period of ten years, experts from the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland have taken a closer look at the area between Spain and Iran. In the process, they have come across some astonishing things.
“Forget Atlantis,” the authors write about the latest findings on the Utrecht University website. “Without realizing it, a large number of tourists spend their vacations on the lost continent of Greater Adriatic every year.”
According to the team, they have indeed discovered a lost continent, of which only parts can be seen today in the Adriatic Sea. The sea represents only a very small part of the original continent, which is said to be the size of Greenland.
Discovery of continent – originally part of North Africa, buried under southern Europe.
“Most of the mountain ranges we studied came from a continent that separated from North Africa more than 200 million years ago,” explains researcher Douwe van Hinsbergen, professor of global tectonics and paleogeography at Utrecht University. “The only remaining part of this continent is a strip running from Turin across the Adriatic Sea to the heel of the boot that forms Italy.” About 140 million years ago, he said, much of the continent was buried under southern Europe, and the eroded rocks we know today as the Alps, the Apennines or the Balkans.
Researcher from Netherlands explains difficulties in discovering Greater Adriatic continent
So despite its original size, the continent can barely be seen today because large parts are underwater. The discovery was made only now because of the complexity of the region.
Time and again, researchers amaze us with interesting findings. Just recently, geologists made a sensational discovery under the ocean floor, and there was also a mysterious discovery in Lake Constance recently.
- source: merkur.de/picture: screenshot- youtube.com
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