The strait was formed millions of years ago when tectonic plates moved between the two islands, reshaping the Earth’s crust.
This resulted in the formation of a thick continental crust in the ocean, which has now been declared a newly discovered protocontinent. It is a submerged piece of continental crust regarding 12 to 15 miles (19–24 km) long.
The continent began to come together regarding 61 million years ago when Greenland broke away from Canada. Plate movements occurred between 33 and 61 million years ago.
According to the study conducted by scientists from the United Kingdom and Sweden, this block of recently identified continental crust was formed due to prolonged rifting and seafloor spreading that led to the formation of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay.
The continent took millions of years to form, a process that developed in Davis Strait as plate movements changed direction from northwest-southwest to east-west.
Scientists found this mass by using a combination of crustal thickness data derived from gravity maps, seismic reflection data, and plate tectonics modeling.
Detailed gravity maps helped map out the microcontinent. While reconstructing the region’s past as Greenland broke away from Canada, the team found that the abnormally thick crust is actually a microcontinent, a separate tectonic block, surrounded by thinner oceanic crust.
Jordan Fithian, a co-author of the study, explained that the rifting required to form a microcontinent is an ongoing phenomenon, and therefore, every earthquake might play a role in the microcontinent breaking away.
This discovery is important because it explains the geological landscape of the Earth. The location of the small continent is also important, as the region is relatively far from human activity.
In general, the protocontinent was formed as a result of the shifting and faulting of tectonic plates in the Davis Strait.
Scientists believe that the rifting – where tectonic plates split in two – began regarding 118 million years ago, before the continental breakup occurred regarding 61.27 million years ago in the Labrador Sea.
The continents continued to drift apart, before Greenland collided with the North American Plate and joined together. During this time, a new microcontinent was created.
This discovery sheds light on the dynamic processes of plate tectonics and crustal formation in the Earth’s geological history, providing a natural laboratory for studying similar phenomena worldwide.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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2024-07-21 04:22:56
