A lost continent the size of Greenland hides under Europe for 140 million years, reveals new maps

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The HISTORY of a lost continent buried under Europe for 100 million years has been revealed for the first time.

The Great Adriatic was a giant land mass the size of Greenland that collided with our own continent.

The crash plunged most of the metropolitan area of Adria underground and into the sea, while the rest collapsed into the rocks.

Remnants of the geological shock linger millions of years later, an international team of scientists announced.

They analyzed rocks that originally formed part of the Great Adriatic in mountain ranges extending from Spain to Iran.

A long document written by the group describes in depth the geological history of the Earth, which dates back to 240 million years ago.

The Great Adriatic was a giant land mass the size of Greenland that separated from the supercontinent Gondwana. This map shows the continent as it existed 140 million years ago. The darker green areas represent the land above the water and the lighter green, the earth belowCredit: Gondwana Research

They reveal that the crash of Europe with the Great Adriatic could have triggered the formation of mountains in Italy, Turkey, Greece and the south-east of Europe.

"The Mediterranean region is simply a geological mess," said Professor Douwe van Hinsbergen, of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

"Everything is curved, broken and stacked."

The Great Adriatic was formerly part of the former Gondwanan supercontinent, a huge stretch of land that then split to form Africa, Antarctica, South America, Australia and parts of the Middle East. and Asia.

Scientists believe that the collision of Grand Adria with Europe formed the mountain ranges on this mapCredit: Gondwana Research

After the split, the Great Adriatic formed its own continent, even though the entire land mass was not above sea level.

Scientists think it probably took the form of a group of islands, much like the UK or the Philippines.

About 240 million years ago, the Grand Adria began to move north, eventually colliding with Europe 100 to 120 million years ago.

This bursting of rocks may have laid the foundation for mountain ranges like the Alps, reported Live Science.

The Great Adria was once part of the former Gondwana Supercontinent, a huge stretch of land that was then split into Africa, Antarctica, South America, Australia and parts of the Middle East. and Asia.Credit: Wikimedia

The collision lasted for millions of years, with each continent moving only four centimeters a year.

Despite this pitiful pace, the crash still managed to bury the continent from a depth of 60 km in the earth's crust.

Much of the Great Adria remains a mystery.

The fact that his remains are spread from Western Europe to the Middle East makes things particularly difficult for scientists.

Supercontinent Gondwana – The Essential Facts

Here's everything you need to know …

Gondwana was a giant prehistoric land mass that formed about 180 million years ago.
It existed long before humans, at a time when dinosaurs dominated the Earth
Gondwana was a supercontinent – a large mosaic of land that would later separate to form the smaller continents we know today.
The block of rock was composed of Africa, Antarctica, South America, Australia and parts of the Middle East and Asia. .
Gondwana began to separate in the middle of the Jurassic, about 170 million years ago.

"All the pieces are mixed and I've spent the last 10 years remaking the puzzle," said Professor van Hinsbergen.

"Each country has its own geological study, its own maps, its own stories, and its own continents, and through this study we have put all this information together in an overview."

Scientists have used computer models to recreate the evolution of Earth's tectonic plate over time.

The research was published in the journal Gondwana Research.

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