© Getty Images

Pangaea breakup -

It might be difficult to imagine, but South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia were once all part of the same giant landmass.

© Shutterstock

Pangaea breakup -

Around 175 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean formed in the rift between the continents that occurred when supercontinent Pangaea broke up.

© Shutterstock

Continued growth -

Ever since this important time in history, the Atlantic Ocean has expanded, and it continues to grow. But maybe its expansion isn't inevitable?

© Shutterstock

Continued growth -

By contrast, the Pacific Ocean is shrinking. The Pacific "Ring of Fire" is a consequence of the Pacific plate, which is being pushed beneath other plates in a process called subduction.

© Shutterstock

Subduction -

As the Pacific plate is subducted, volcanic land closes in on the ocean. Could a similar fate await the Atlantic Ocean, too?

© Shutterstock

New study -

A new study examines just that. What does it mean? Well, the future, the Atlantic could have its own "Ring of Fire."

© Shutterstock

New study -

A new map that examined the sea floor off the coast of Iberia—the region of Europe where Spain and Portugal are found—shows a subduction zone is developing.

© Shutterstock

Portuguese coast -

It's not the first time researchers have found something in the area. Back in 2013, a potential subduction zone was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean about 120 miles (200 km) off the southwest coast of Portugal.

© Shutterstock

Portuguese coast -

That zone comprised a crack forming in the Eurasian plate, creating a fracture on the ocean floor.

© Shutterstock

Scientific discovery -

Published in Geology, the 2024 study finds there is an existing a subduction zone invading the Atlantic, located in Gibraltar at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

© Shutterstock

The Gibraltar Arc -

The Gibraltar Arc was thought to be dormant, but the authors of this new study claim it's active. Gibraltar is located at the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

© Shutterstock

Advanced technology -

Advances in technology have allowed modeling of the Gibraltar Arc to take place. Now, scientists claim that they're able to simulate its formation.

© Shutterstock

Advanced technology -

Knowing how the Arc was formed also means that scientists can model its evolution over time. According to their research, things will change in the Gibraltar Arc.

© Shutterstock

Two other Atlantic subduction zones -

The Atlantic has two other subduction zones, one in the Scotia Sea off Antarctica, while the other, the Lesser Antilles, is in the Caribbean.

© Shutterstock

Two other Atlantic subduction zones -

Both of these subduction zones formed several million years ago. Subduction zones don't form spontaneously: extremely strong tectonic plates must bend and break.

© Shutterstock

Subduction initiation and invasion -

This process is subduction initiation. Then, when subduction from one ocean migrates into a growing ocean, it's referred to as subduction invasion.

© Shutterstock

Wilson cycle -

Over billions of years, oceans follow what's called the Wilson cycle. At the beginning of this cycle, a continent breaks up and an ocean forms in the interior. The ocean grows as continents drift further apart.

© Shutterstock

Wilson cycle -

The turning point in the Wilson cycle is when subduction initiation begins. At this point, the ocean begins to shrink until the continents at its edges collide.

© Shutterstock

Signs of aging -

We can think of subduction zones as signs of aging in the ocean. In this case, with more subduction zones, the Atlantic Ocean is beginning to show greater signs of aging.

© Shutterstock

The Mediterranean Sea -

The Mediterranean Sea is a closing basin. This means that the oceanic plate is being subducted beneath the continental plates of Europe and Africa.

© Shutterstock

The Mediterranean Sea -

A researcher for the 2024 study, João Duarte, believes the "dying" Mediterranean Sea is to blame for the emergence of tectonic activity in the Gibraltar Arc.

© Shutterstock

An earlier ocean fault -

The Mediterranean may have "caught" subduction from an ancient ocean that will produce cracks, eventually leading to a fault in the lithospheric plate.

© Shutterstock

Tectonic shifts -

When tectonic plates move, continents shift.  This leads to the degradation of the ocean: in this case, the Atlantic.

© Shutterstock

Atlantic disappearance? -

If Duarte's calculations are correct, the premature death of the ocean could occur in 220 million years. In other words, that's still quite a long way off!

© Shutterstock

Atlantic disappearance? -

When this occurs, Europe and America will unite. The entire Atlantic Ocean will disappear off the face of the earth, forever.

© Shutterstock

Earthquakes -

The findings about the Gibraltar Arc have implications not just for the Atlantic Ocean, but also for the Mediterranean region's susceptibility to earthquakes.

© Shutterstock

Earthquakes -

The places where subduction occurs are usually the cause of the most powerful earthquakes. Lisbon's 1755 earthquake was the strongest one ever recorded along Europe's Atlantic coast.

© Shutterstock

Apocalyptic -

However, while Duarte's theory was received well by many, other scientists disagreed with this apocalyptic outlook on the Atlantic's future.

© Shutterstock

More research needed -

Some geologists argue a lot more research is needed, and that it's too early to say if plate activity could lead to the demise of the Atlantic.

Sources: (Geology In) (GeoScienceWorld) (Cosmos Magazine) (National Geographic)

See also: You won't believe these mind boggling ocean facts

© Shutterstock