Scientists have revealed that the Atlantic Ocean could collapse into a ring of fire and disappear

A recent study warns that Atlantic Ocean may eventually disappear, absorbed by a subduction zone known as thering of Fire‘, similar to existing peaceful, This area is located under Strait of Gibraltarbetween spain And moroccoCould expand westward and close the ocean.

Chief Researcher, joao duarteof Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbonused computer modeling to trace the evolution of this field with his team Oligocene To project its future expansion, estimating that in about 20 million years, humanity may witness a Significant change of Atlantic landscape,

Study, published in journal GeologyProvided evidence that subduction – a phenomenon where one tectonic plate slides beneath another – is beginning the Atlantic, “We have good reasons to think that the Atlantic is beginning to close”Professor Duarte explained daily Mail.

As the ocean floor sinks into the mantle, the continents move closer, which can eventually cause the ocean to close: “Subduction zones are what cause oceans to close, as they drop their sea floor. push toward the mantle, causing the continents to come together,” he explained. Duarte,

subduction zone beneath Strait of Gibraltar is particularly interesting because of its activity ‘Sleep’That is, the speed at which the African Plate moves beneath the Eurasian Plate is extremely slow. Despite its current size, which is relatively small at about 200 kilometers in length and just over 560 kilometers in depth, it is expected to grow to about 800 kilometers in the future.

This phenomenon not only has important geological implications, but it also poses a threat Reminder about the seismic potential of the area, History has already demonstrated the devastating consequences of seismic activity in areas with active subduction zones. Proof of this was the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.With an estimated magnitude of 7.7, which killed about 12,000 people and caused almost complete destruction portuguese capitalAccording to the data of New York Post.

The study model also showed how a subduction zone that begins in a closed ocean can move toward an open ocean through a narrow ocean corridor. “Subduction invasion is probably a common subduction initiation mechanism in Atlantic-type oceans and a fundamental process in Earth’s recent geological evolution,” Researchers explain in their study.