Scientists announced a new zone of mega-earthquakes

Formation of a new tectonic fault has been detected under the Atlantic Ocean, which in the future may cause devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. This is stated in a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The article notes that although the Atlantic has traditionally been considered a seismically calm region, Portugal, located far from known tectonic faults, has already experienced strong underground tremors. For example, the 1969 earthquake showed signs characteristic of subduction zones - areas where lithospheric plates collide, despite the fact that such processes had not been previously recorded here.

Scientists compared data from seismic stations and results of computer modeling of the seabed southwest of Portugal. As a result, they found signs of mantle stratification. According to researchers, water has been penetrating into rocks for millions of years, weakening them and creating conditions for the formation of a new subduction zone in the Atlantic Ocean.

It is predicted that in the future this zone may cause powerful earthquakes and tsunamis and lead to large-scale tectonic shifts. In the long term, scientists even allow for the unification of Africa, Europe, and America into a single supercontinent.