Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Scientists have recently discovered a submerged microcontinent off the west coast of Greenland, named the Davis Strait proto-microcontinent. This discovery sheds light on the tectonic evolution of the region.
The formation of continents is closely tied to plate tectonics, responsible for natural phenomena like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Davis Strait resulted from the interaction of tectonic plates between Greenland and Canada.
Dating back approximately 33–61 million years ago during the Paleogene period, the tectonic evolution of the Davis Strait led to the formation of this unique crustal feature.
The Davis Strait proto-microcontinent consists of a thicker-than-normal fragment of continental crust, measuring 19–24 km in thickness. It is bordered by two narrow bands of thinner continental crust, separating it from mainland Greenland and Baffin Island.
Researchers published their findings in Gondwana Research, reconstructing the plate tectonic movements over the past 30 million years to understand the formation process of this proto-microcontinent.
According to doctoral researchers Luke Longley, Dr. Jordan Phethean, and Dr. Christian Schiffer, proto-microcontinents are regions of relatively thick continental lithosphere isolated from major continents by zones of thinner lithosphere.
Initial rifting between Canada and Greenland began around 118 million years ago (Ma) during the Lower Cretaceous period. The seafloor spreading in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay started around 61 Ma.
The Davis Strait proto-microcontinent’s formation is primarily linked to events around 49–58 million years ago (Ma), when changes in seafloor spreading orientation off the Pre-Ungava Transform Margin contributed to its separation from Greenland.