African continental crust found under southeastern US
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027868
Discovery : A stretch of unusual magnetism that runs from Alabama to North Carolina indicates an ancient rift zone where the continents of North America and Africa separated millions of years ago. In a paper published in GSA Today, Elias Parker of the University of Georgia in Athens discusses what is known about the Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly that runs under southern Georgia. Some 290 million years ago, the two continents collided to form the supercontinent of Pangea, and then 60 million years later began to break apart again. As the continents pulled apart, some rock from Africa got left behind. To better understand the complex seismic forces that were in play, several studies have been launched, among them the Southeastern Suture of the Appalachian Margin Experiment and the Suwanee Suture and Georgia Rift Basin Experiment . “This is just the start to understanding the structure of the southeast U.S.,” said Parker.
