Once upon a time, the lands of Earth were joined in the supercontinent Rodinia. These eventually broke apart and reassembled themselves to become the later, more famous supercontinent of Pangaea. They then broke apart and went through several more configurations before arriving where they currently sit.
Scientists now think they’ve found a missing chunk of the supercontinent Rodinia lost beneath the Indian Ocean. They are calling it “Mauritia” and believe it was originally located between the lands that became India and Madagascar. They’ve studied zircon brought to the surface by recent volcanic activity and determined that it is actually extremely old, vastly predating our modern continents. The researchers propose that the “anomalously thick crust” in the area is actually part of the supercontinent consumed by the ocean millions of years ago.
It’s fascinating that we’ve been able to unlock so much of the Earth’s past. Finds like this give us a tiny glimpse of how things were hundreds of millions of years ago and show how much we still have to learn about our ever-changing planet.
Interesting!
Maegan L. recently posted…My New Companion for the Next 9 Weeks
This is a really interesting post! I knew of Pangaea, but have never heard of Rodinia before!! So I learned something new today
!
And I agree with you it is amazing to learn things about how Earth use to be.
Savannah miller recently posted…Wummelbox review
I didn’t remember learning about Rodinia either – if I did, it was long ago and quickly forgotten! All the emphasis was on Pangaea.
Interesting! My husband spent Christmas 2011 out in that area on the island of Mauritius.
Very cool! I’d love to visit that region someday. Any tips?
Geek Chic Mama recently posted…“Evolution of Mom Dancing” with Michelle Obama and Jimmy Fallon
This is cool and I’m totally clueless about it all. I know I am not a science buff.
Nickida recently posted…Printable Blogging Planner Review
I loved learning about Pangaea in school, so now I feel all excited about this new discovery! I can’t wait to find out more
It’s pretty wild to think that lands that are now oceans apart (like India and Madagascar, the two areas Mauritia was squished between) were once neighbors. Our planet is fascinating!
Wow! So crazy!!
Ashley recently posted…#SlowDownAndSavor with Campbell’s® Slow Kettle®
Wow!! This is super interesting! I love learning about historical and archeological new findings… I wonder what else they will uncover as technology keeps improving and makes it easier to discover these awesome findings about our Earth’s past!!
Anna at Mama Writes recently posted…Inspirational Photo Monday: Jal Mahal – Surreal Palace in the Water
This is really interesting information to learn. While I enjoy science very much, I did not hear of this find. Thanks.