Friday 20 May 2011

Europe sinking under Africa

European continent in recent years underscores the African tectonic plate and two continents are closer and closer, it was said at the conference European Geosciences Union.

Northern end of the African tectonic plate is several million years ago, underlined by Europe, but the process stopped. Now, experts believe this could happen is that Europe begins to sink, that there is a scientifically fascinating and very rare subduction zones (where one plate sinks under the other).
 
According to reports by scientists, rock mass in the North African tectonic plates, beneath the Mediterranean Sea, almost sank beneath the Eurasian plate, which is Europe. But the weight is too light, and scientists believe that Africa will not sink.

"Africa will not sink, but the two continents are still approaching, what will happen then? It is likely to witness the beginning of subduction under Europe Africa, " said Rajnus Vortel, a professor at the University of Utrecht, the BBC reported.

Just as scientists at the University of Utrecht, concluded that the approach of Europe and Africa, a few centimeters each year, partly thwarted by the collision of tectonic plates in Turkey. Also, the reason for that is the African continent, because of the ease, ceased to sink.
 
It is precisely because some parts of the African plates, which have been separated and broken off, they began to rise. Parts of the Eurasian plate, headed south, towards the area of Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic islands.
 
Based on research, analysis and observation of the recent earthquake, scientists believe that the end result could be the start of subduction of the opposite direction.
 
If the theory that Europe begins to sink and that subduction began to be proven, researchers could better assess the risks of earthquakes and tsunamis in Europe.
The conference highlighted the fact that Europe is very little money invested in the construction of a system for warning of tsunami.
 
"We will continue to monitor seismic activity in order to determine whether it really underscores the Mediterranean North Africa", said Professor Vortel, adding that this will take several hundred years.

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