[Rockhounds] Earth only has six continents, not seven, according to a new study

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Geologists have long viewed North America and Europe as separate
continents, yet new studies suggest there might be more complexity beneath
the surface of Earth’s oceans.

Ongoing research has revealed hints of buried land that stretches from
Greenland through Iceland to the Faroe Islands.

At the center of this conversation is the concept that these tectonic
plates could still be pulling apart in unexpected ways. Some experts say
this updated view could affect how we classify continents in the future.

Researchers found similarities between an area in Africa known as the Afra
region
<https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/77566/east-african-rift-valley-kenya>
and the formation of Iceland.

By examining how rifting occurs in both places, they identified a newly
defined feature called a Rifted Oceanic Magmatic Plateau, or ROMP.

Their work suggests the North American and Eurasian plates have not
finished splitting, despite previous estimates that this separation
happened tens of millions of years ago
<https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-forces-discovered-cause-earths-continents-to-rise-great-escarpment/>.
According to recent evidence, the process is still underway.

https://www.earth.com/news/earth-only-has-six-continents-not-seven-tectonic-plates-under-iceland-study/