[Rockhounds] Geologists Have Uncovered a Brand New Continent in Arctic Breakup Zone

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Geologists have uncovered a long-lost continental fragment buried beneath
the thick ice of Greenland, a discovery that offers new insight into the
ancient forces that shaped Earth’s surface. This previously unrecognized
microcontinent, formed tens of millions of years ago, is believed to be
part of a complex tectonic rift system between Greenland and Canada.

The finding not only redefines the geological map of the North Atlantic,
but also deepens our understanding of plate tectonic reorganization,
continental separation, and how fragments of ancient crust become stranded
during the birth of new oceans.
The region separating Canada and Greenland has long drawn attention due to
its geological complexity. This is where the Labrador Sea and Baffin
Bay connect
via the Davis Strait, a region formed by tectonic activity during the Paleogene
period, between roughly 61 and 33 million years ago. During this time,
Earth’s crust began to break apart, initiating a period of rifting and seafloor
spreading.

Researchers now believe that an unusually thick portion of continental
crust, between 19 and 24 kilometers deep, was not fully separated during
this rifting phase. Instead, it became stranded beneath the ocean floor.

This continental block is now known as the Davis Strait proto-microcontinent,
a term used to describe a slab of continental lithosphere that’s no longer
fully connected to a major landmass but not fully detached either.

https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/04/geologists-have-uncovered-a-brand-new-continent-in-arctic-breakup-zone/