North America and Europe Should Be Classed as One Continent, Scientists Claim
New geological feature connecting the two continents
Growing up, we all learned about Earth's seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. But a new study claims that North America and Europe should actually be classified as one continent, not two.
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found a new geological feature that is connecting North America and Europe. This feature, called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is a long, underwater mountain range that runs from Iceland to the Azores. The researchers believe that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the result of the break-up of a supercontinent that existed millions of years ago. As the supercontinent broke apart, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was formed, and North America and Europe began to drift apart.
However, the researchers also found that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is not a complete barrier between North America and Europe. There are several areas where the two continents are connected by land bridges or shallow seas. These connections allowed plants and animals to migrate between North America and Europe, and they also allowed humans to cross from one continent to the other.
The study's findings have implications for how we think about the continents. If North America and Europe are considered to be one continent, then there are only six continents in the world. This would also mean that Eurasia, which is currently considered to be the largest continent, would actually be the third largest, after Asia and Africa.
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