Port Louis, Mauritius (Web Desk): A group of scientists claimed that a formerly undiscovered continent is buried under Mauritius.
According to a research published in the journal ‘Nature Communications’, Zircon crystals have found on Mauritius are over three billion years old, while the island, Mauritius, itself is only eight million years old. These crystals are part of granite that forms the crust of continents.
Due to lack of authenticity, similar previous studies were criticized, as experts had remarked that the zircon crsytals could have been blown onto the island.
The researchers examined zircons in trachyte rocks that only form as a result of a volcanic eruption.
Lewis Ashwal of University of the Witwatersrand, Lead author on the paper said, “The fact that we have found zircons of this age proves that there are much older crustal materials under Mauritius that could only have originated from a continent.”
He further stated that the new discovery further validates the theory that an island once existed under Mauritius, billions of years ago.
Researchers have proposed that the buried continent, Mauritia, split from the ancient super-continent Gondwana, which broke up around 200 million years ago.
