New study sheds light on how the Atlantic Ocean could cease to exist in the next millennia

Oceans seem to be huge bodies of water that have existed for a long time. But most people are not aware of how the oceans we know today came about as a result of landmasses on the Earth shifting and creating them over many millennia. Just as they were formed, most oceans will close up, with continents beginning to change over the next million years. Scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany have conducted a study that suggests how a subduction zone in the Strait of Gibraltar could form an Atlantic subduction system.

The team has termed it the Atlantic "ring of fire," which they estimate will happen a long 20 million years in the future. The Atlantic Ocean came about as a result of the enormous single continent of Pangea splitting over 180 million years ago. Similar to how many prehistoric water bodies do not exist anymore, the Atlantic will also eventually close up with the emergence of subduction zones within it. The study, which has also been shared on the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon website, explains how subduction zones are created when two tectonic plates converge and one dive below the other.

While the process may sound very easy in theory, it is quite difficult as the tectonic plates are quite strong and have to be broken and folded for subduction zones to come about. Researchers seem to think that subduction zones could migrate from an ocean towards the end of its life, such as the Mediterranean, to the Atlantic, which could allow for more subduction zones. The team came up with a three-dimensional computer model to support their hypothesis. The model would simulate the force of gravity to showcase how the subduction zone existing in the Strait of Gibraltar could come into the Atlantic Ocean.

This study proved to be quite interesting as most of the geological community considered the Gibraltar subduction zone inactive, seeing how it had very little activity in the last million years. Results of the study suggest that the same levels of activity will continue for the next 20 million years, after which it will accelerate and show up in the Atlantic Ocean. João Duarte, one of the authors of the study, said, "There are two other subduction zones on the other side of the Atlantic – the Lesser Antilles Arc, in the Caribbean, and the Scotland Arc, near Antarctica. However, these subduction zones invaded the Atlantic several million years ago. Studying Gibraltar is an invaluable opportunity because it allows you to observe the process in its early stages when it is still happening."

What makes the study even more amusing is how it highlights subduction zone invasions as a crucial component in the geological evolution of our planet. Furthermore, the potential activity in the Gibraltar subduction could be a key factor when studying seismic activities in the surrounding regions. Subduction zones are commonly known for creating strong earthquakes on our planet. The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 was the result of a subduction zone.