Scientists Discover ‘Pontus’ Mega Plate Disappeared 20 Million Years Ago

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geology, identifying a long-lost tectonic plate in the west Pacific called ‘Pontus’. A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed ‘Pontus’ was recently...

Ruby Thakur
October 16, 2023
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Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geology, identifying a long-lost tectonic plate in the west Pacific called ‘Pontus’. A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed ‘Pontus’ was recently discovered by chance by scientists studying ancient rocks in Borneo, The plate had vanished over millions of years as it was subducted into the Earth’s mantle.

Scientists Discover ‘Pontus’ Mega Plate Disappeared 20 Million Years Ago

Why In News

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geology, identifying a long-lost tectonic plate in the west Pacific called ‘Pontus’.
A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed ‘Pontus’ was recently discovered by chance by scientists studying ancient rocks in Borneo, The plate had vanished over millions of years as it was subducted into the Earth’s mantle.

Who Discovered

Suzanna van de Lagemaat, a graduate geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and her supervisor, Douwe van Hinsbergen, deduced the plate’s existence by piecing together geological data preserved in crumpled mountain ranges and oceanic fragments thrust atop continental plates throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Van de Lagemaat conducted field research and thoroughly examined the mountain belts of Japan, Borneo, the Philippines, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

The Pontus plate

A long-lost tectonic plate that once underpinned what is today the South China Sea has been rediscovered 20 million years after disappearing.
It has an extensive history, dating back as far as 160 million years and more recently to around 20 million years ago.
The resurfacing of the Pontus plate is the latest discovery in the world of plate tectonics.
It is believed that the massive tectonic plate was once about 15 million square miles in size, which equates to approximately one quarter of the Pacific Ocean.

The Science Behind The Discovery

Pontus has been gradually subducted beneath the earth over the last millions of years. Scientists believe this gravitational force came from a neighboring plate.
The subducting plate is actually denser than the surrounding mantle, so gravity basically pulls the plate down into the mantle.
A subducted plate leaves behind traces when it ‘sinks’ into Earth’s mantle – namely, fragments of rock hidden in mountain belts.
During the process of subduction, however, the upper parts of the subducting plate are sometimes scraped off.
The researchers used geological data to reconstruct the movements of the current plates with computer modelling, which hinted at a wide area potentially vacated by a subducted plate.
Using magnetic techniques, researchers determined the basalt from Borneo were relics of Pontus that were left behind when this part of the plate subducted, some 85 million years ago.

Tectonic Plates

Tectonic plates are large pieces of the Earth’s lithosphere that are constantly moving.
Tectonic Plate constantly move against one another, and the crust in oceanic plates is more dense than continental plates, so oceanic plates get pushed under continental plates in a process called subduction and disappear.
Sometimes, however, rocks from a lost plate get incorporated into mountain-building events.
These remnants can point to the location and formation of ancient plates.

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Ruby Thakur

General Studies Lecturer SSBCrackExams, BSc In PCM, Trained Students For State Services Exams. Expertise in Geography ,Polity & Current Affairs. Love Travelling.