Europe to physically merge with America within 220 mn years - Indian Express

PTI : Melbourne, Wed Jun 19 2013, 21:37 hrs this break-up and reformation of supercontinents has happened at least three times on Earth.Reuters Geological forces are slowly tugging Europe toward the Americas, with both continents estimated to merge about 220 million years from now, a new study claims. A new subduction zone forming off the coast of Portugal heralds the beginning of a cycle that will see the Atlantic Ocean close as continental Europe moves closer to America, researchers said. The study led by Monash University geologists has detected the first evidence that a passive margin in the Atlantic ocean is becoming active. Subduction zones, such as the one beginning near Iberia, are areas where one of the tectonic plates that cover the Earth's surface dives beneath another plate into the mantle - the layer just below the crust. Lead author Dr Joao Duarte, from the School of Geosciences said the team mapped the ocean floor and found it was beginning to fracture, indicating tectonic activity around the apparently passive South West Iberia plate margin. "What we have detected is the very beginnings of an active margin - it's like an embryonic subduction zone," Duarte said. "Significant earthquake activity, including the 1755 quake which devastated Lisbon, indicated that there might be convergent tectonic movement in the area. For the first time, we have been able to provide not only evidences that this is indeed the case, but also a consistent driving mechanism," said Duarte. The incipient subduction in the Iberian zone could signal the start of a new phase of the Wilson Cycle - where plate movements break up supercontinents, like Pangaea, and open oceans, stabilise and then form new subduction zones which close the oceans and bring the scattered continents back together, researchers said. They said this break-up and reformation of supercontinents has happened at least three times, over more than four billion years, on Earth. The Iberian subduction will gradually pull Iberia towards the US over approximately 220 million years. The findings provide a unique opportunity to observe a passive margin becoming active - a process that will take around 20 million years. ... contd. ALSO READ NASA to take first natural-colour photo of Earth from Saturn, says cheese for history Now, Apple Inc. eyes LinkedIn in for deep integration in iOS 7 'Elusive' cholesterol busting formula discovered Internet balloons to benefit small businesses: Google Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s). via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHbhg552uao2s5G_tTDNKj-9oKybg&url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/europe-to-physically-merge-with-america-within-220-mn-years/1131186/

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 2954071