A group of geologists and geophysicists, led by Dr. Gillian Foulger, has proposed a revolutionary new theory that below Iceland exists a sunken continent. This landmass, which the researchers have dubbed Icelandia, may have covered an area of over 600,000 km2, stretching from Greenland to Scandinavia. However, this figure could grow to 1,000,000 km2 if one were to include the underwater areas surrounding Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The formation of Iceland has been a matter of curiosity for geologists for a while. It was previously assumed that Iceland was formed approximately 60 million years ago above an underwater volcanic plume — 140 million years after the supercontinent Pangaea began separating — however, the geological data collected did not support this theory. One discrepancy found was the thickness of Iceland’s seismological crust; measurements showed that it was seven times thicker than the type of crust theorized to be under Iceland: oceanic crust.
However, when Foulger and her team considered the possibility that Iceland’s crust may be continental instead of oceanic, their data quickly began to make sense. A new theory was then developed: the concept of Iceland being the exposed tip of a far larger, submerged, continent. This idea is also supported by the existence of the same species of plants in both Greenland and Scandinavia, the two regions that the continent is theorized to connect to.
If Foulger’s theory is proven correct, its ramifications would be massive for the countries that border Icelandia. Abiding by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, these countries could gain exclusive rights to underwater resources, as long as they can verify that they lie beneath their continental shelf. The prospect of untapped, precious minerals and fossil fuels is already an important enough reason for countries to begin researching the sunken continent.
However, it might be wiser for these countries to wait for more research to be done before pouring in large amounts of money to conduct their own. Within the geological community, there are still many who are doubtful regarding the theory’s claims. High-profile geophysicists such as Dr. Carmen Gaina, director of the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, have dismissed the hypothesis as unlikely, stating that it was a “bold claim” with many issues. This skepticism can also be supported by data collected from magnetic surveys of the seabed where the proposed continent lies, which have shown striped patterns similar to the oceanic crust of the Pacific Ocean, rather than the continental crust proposed by the new theory.
Despite the issues that the theory may have in its current form, it acts as a good starting point for further discussion. Through this proposal, Dr. Foulger and her team have provided geologists and geophysicists with a great opportunity to gain insight on this topic, as it has piqued the interest of countries who are now willing to fund the team’s expensive research. If their efforts are fruitful, then we may be seeing major revisions to maps of our oceans and seas in the near future.
Published December 6, 2021
Written by Alex Truong ~ Edited by Anjali Pathmanathan ~ Graphics by Vainilaa Anuragaran
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