(ORDO NEWS) — In 2020, in a kimberlite valley in northern Canada, scientists discovered part of an ancient continent, fragments of which are scattered across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 2020, scientists found a fragment of the most ancient continental crust – the North Atlantic Platform. The fragment was discovered on Baffin Island – between the Canadian mainland and Greenland – during the study of samples of kimberlite rocks containing diamonds.
Scientists estimate that the North Atlantic Plate broke apart about 150 million years ago. Its fragments have been found in Greenland, Scotland and on the island of Labrador. Geologists were surprised when they discovered another fragment of a craton on Baffin Island, but they are sure that this is it.
“The mineral composition of other fragments of the North Atlantic craton is so unique that it was impossible to make a mistake,” says Maya Kopylova, a geologist from the University of British Columbia. composition”.
The scientists used petrography, thermobarometry and mineralogy to analyze 120 rock samples brought to the surface by kimberlites that formed millions of years ago at depths ranging from 150 to 400 kilometers.
“Kimberlites are underground rockets that lift passengers to the surface,” explained Maya Kopylova, “Passengers are solid pieces of stone that contain a lot of information about the depths of our planet.”
Thanks to the found fragment of an ancient craton, scientists realized that the North Atlantic Plate was 10% larger than they had previously thought.
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