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- Scientists have discovered the remains
of a "lost continent" beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean.
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- A recovered sample of the 'lost continent'Drilling
by the Joides Resolution research vessel, which traverses the seas extracting
samples from beneath the sea floor, suggests that the continent, about
a third the size of present day Australia, sank from sight only 20 million
years ago.
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- It lies beneath the southern Indian Ocean.
Called the Kerguelen Plateau, it is one of the most remote places on Earth.
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- The Joides Resolution, the world's largest
research vessel, bored a series of holes through the undersea plateau,
which is about two kilometres below the ocean surface.
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- Spores and pollen
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- It brought to the surface many types
of rocks associated with explosive volcanism, as well as sedimentary rocks
similar to those found in India and Australia.
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- Sending the drill bit down to the sea
floor"We found abundant evidence that much of the Kerguelen Plateau
formed above sea level," said Dr Mike Coffin of the University of
Texas.
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- "Wood fragments, a seed, spores
and pollen recovered in 90 million year-old sediment from the central Kerguelen
Plateau indicates that it was above sea level."
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- Scientists believe that it rose out of
the ocean about 110 million years ago, following a series of huge volcanic
eruptions.
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- Small dinosaurs
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- Fifty million years ago, it may have
been covered in lush ferns, moist with tropical humidity.
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- The 'core store' on the Joides ResolutionSmall
dinosaurs would have hidden in the undergrowth stalking their prey.
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- Twenty million years ago, it started
to sink beneath the waves of what is now the Indian Ocean.
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- Scientists hope that studying the region
will help them understand the break-up of Australia, India and Antarctica.
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