Truth behind the discovery of a 120-million-year-old lost part of Earth in Borneo

As per the latest development, geologists have discovered ancient remnants of a long-lost tectonic plate in Borneo, which is believed to be 120 million years old. Named ‘Pontus,’ this plate offers new insights into Earth's geological past and the dramatic tectonic activity that has shaped the continents we know today.



As per the reports, Suzanna van de Lagemaat, a graduate geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and her supervisor, Douwe van Hinsbergen were behind this discovery. They analysed the geological data from mountain formations in the Asia-Pacific region, which led to the understanding that the Pontus plate was actually an entirely new discovery, and was previously unknown to science.Van de Lagemaat initially thought the rock formations in northern Borneo were remnants of a previously known plate. However, during magnetic lab research, it became evident that these rocks originated from much farther north, leading the team to conclude that they had found signs of the ancient Pontus plate.

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Researchers are of the view that the Pontus plate actually existed long before the collapse of the supercontinent Pangea. It’s a geological event that began around 160 million years ago, and Pontus is thought to cover an area about a quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean. This massive tectonic plate, responsible for separating Eurasia from Australia, was ultimately swallowed by other tectonic plates when the continents moved apart. This process is believed to have contributed to the current position of regions such as Borneo, and Philippines. This process is believed to have contributed to the current position of regions such as Borneo, and Philippines.
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In short, as per the researchers, the Pontus plate, which was part of the world’s crust before it broke up from supercontinent Pangaea, was likely around a quarter of the size of the Pacific Ocean. These estimates were based on reconstructions of what it might have looked like 160 million years ago.
Van de Lagemaat focussed primarily on the complex Junction Region, which typically refers to the area of tectonic activity stretching from Japan to New Zealand, including Borneo and the Philippines. The research on Junction Region is vital to understanding how Earth's tectonic plates continued to move over millions of years. Using geological data and magnetic research, Van de Lagemaat and her team reconstructed the movements of these plates, which further revealed the hidden history of the Pontus plate.