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New research sheds light on Pangea’s division 135 million years ago. |Credit: Accessed through Getty Image Discovery
New research finds that the division between South America and Africa is a fierce thing.
The mainland’s breakup spewed out more than 3.8 million cubic miles (16 million cubic kilometers) of magma, which remain volcanic rocks on the bottom of South America, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. In some parts of Namibia and Angola, these volcanic rock formations are as high as 0.6 miles (1 km).
The new study, which combines multiple sources of previously collected data from South America, Africa and the ocean surface, found that major magma eruptions occurred between 135 and 131 million years ago, reaching a peak of 134.5 million years ago. This improved understanding of the timing of eruption could give researchers a better understanding of what triggers division and its impact on the climate.
The author, the head of the research, said: “We encountered some extinction and some disturbances 134.5 million years ago.” Mohamed Mansour Abdelmalaka geologist and geophysicist at the University of Oslo, Norway. Understanding the exact age of magma helps to connect eruptions to these events.
New research also found evidence of “heat abnormalities” in the south at that time pangeathis supercontinent began to decompose on today’s continent to 200 million years ago. The breakup was slow, South America and Africa split 135 million years ago, and North America did not complete its split with Europe until 55 million years ago. Previous research has shown that the rupture of Pangea in the southern part is partly due to the so-called mantle plume – the ascending column of super-running rocks in the central layer of the Earth. These plumes melt from below and thin the continental crust.
New research suggests that the thermal anomalies that help separate South America and Africa may be caused by the mantle.
“We don’t have a lot of samples, so we’re not sure if this volcanic action is related to mantle plumes,” he said. From rocks now located under the deep seas on the coast of Argentina and Uruguay, samples are especially needed, where there is little deep-sea drilling.
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Abdumarak said there was a modern rain feather that caused Iceland to irrigate magma. There, the Mid-Atlantic ridge is still pulling open at a speed of 0.8 to 2 inches (2 to 5 cm) one year – On land. This land was formed by Icelandic hotspots, research shows Driven to the depths by feathers.
Other deep rock samples from Africa and the deep sea can help researchers understand how much magma erupted during the split between Africa and South America and how the eruption affected the climate, Abdumarak said. In most large eruptions, the climate is warm because volcanoes emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. But there was a time when cooling was carried out 134 million years ago, which might be because the magma broke out, or Weathered, very quickly. During weathering, the rocks decompose and react chemically with air to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
These findings appear in May issue Earth Science Review.
