A new theory suggests there are actually six continents. (Image: Getty)
A breakthrough study has claimed that there are actually only six continents, as opposed to the long-held belief of seven: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Dr Jordan Phethean from the University of Derby and his team claimed we’ve got the count wrong and there are, in fact,
Emerging from an extensive investigation into the geological dance that separated Europe from North America, this study delves deep into the history of Earth’s landmasses.
Contrary to the longstanding belief that the parted ways 52 million years ago, Dr Phethean claims to have uncovered the truth.
He told : “The discovery indicates that the North America and Eurasian tectonic plates have not yet actually broken apart, as is traditionally thought to have happened 52 million years ago.”
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The new study suggests Europe and Asia could be one continent. (Image: Getty)
Concentrating on Iceland, the research tackled assumptions about the island’s origins, typically put down to volcanic activity from the mid-Atlantic ridge some 60 million years ago.
The convergence of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates is believed to have triggered the emergence of a hot mantle plume,
However, recent research has cast doubt on this long-held theory. Through an in-depth examination of tectonic movements across Africa, scientists have put forth a fascinating alternative explanation.
They propose that Iceland, along with the Greenland Iceland Faroes Ridge (GIFR), contains geological remnants from both the European
This finding implies that these regions are connected parts of a larger continent. The research team has dubbed this newly identified geological feature the Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau.
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Dr Phethean said: “Fragments of lost continent submerged beneath the sea and kilometers of thin lava flows.” By comparing the volcanic Afra region in Africa to Iceland, the team uncovered striking similarities in their evolution.
According to Dr Phethean’s team, it appears that Europe and North America may not in actuality be two separate entities but rather, are technically still in a continental divide – similarly to North and South America.
This suggests that the European and North American landmasses on our planet.
Dr Phethean concluded: “It is controversial to suggest that the GIFR contains a large amount of continental crust within it, and that the European and North American tectonic plates have perhaps not yet officially broken up.”