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FP trendsOctober 26, 2020 5:05:05 AM IST
The scientists created a model that suggests that a tectonic plate, located in western North America about 60 million years ago, actually existed. Geophysicists are divided between the likelihood that the Resurrection plate actually exists. While one school of thought said it never existed, the other school believed that the Resurrection was pushed aside and down into the mantle of the planet in early Cenozoic period.
Giving the second group a considerable advantage in the argument, a team of geologists from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston built a model that proves the existence of the plaque. In studying the mantle tomography images existing on our planet, the group “Found” the Resurrection exist in northern Canada, a team statement said.
The third great geological era on Earth, the Cenozoic Era, is considered the period when the continents assumed their modern or current shapes and sizes. Image credit: Wikipedia
The researchers think that this lost plaque was responsible for the link between the ancient Pacific Ocean and North America. In addition, it led to the creation of the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. Jonny Wu, assistant professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said: “Volcanoes form at the edges of the plates, and the more plates you have, the more volcanoes you have.” He further explained that the new discovery could help researchers understand how many volcanoes there were and how the climate changed there.
The third great geological era on Earth, the Cenozoic Era, is considered the period when the continents assumed their modern or current shapes and sizes. It follows the Mesozoic Era and extends from 66 million years ago to the present day.
As we currently live in the Cenozoic era, the tectonic plates of the time are still in progress. However, there has been a dispute over the Resurrection plaque, which is believed to have been present at the beginning of the Cenozoic era. Now, the latest study found that the Resurrection existed between two larger plates called Kula and Farallon.
The results of the study was published at the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America.
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