The geologic dance makes Spain and Portugal rotate 60 degrees

What seemed to be associated with the dancers suddenly happened to a large part of Europe, when the region had a spectacular turnaround 300 years ago.

Geologists have discovered evidence buried deep in volcanic rocks in northwestern Spain, showing that the entire Iberian peninsula has turned nearly 60º to its present direction. This massive shift is thought to occur when two large continents - Euramerica and Gondwana - collide with each other to form the ultimate supercontinent Pangea.

Volcanic rocks in northwestern Spain show that the whole Iberian peninsula has turned nearly 60º into its present direction.

The patch made up a huge mountain range, with fragments we can still see throughout Spain, Portugal, France and southern England. Through the study of magnetic signals contained in these ancient rocks, the researchers are now able to decode the vast geological region of twisting and rotating at that time.

Dr. Javier Fernandez Lozano, geological expert from the University of Salamanca (Spain), co-author of the study, said: "These rocks accumulated under the seabed 440 million years ago near the antarctic and the Their composition was oriented in the direction of the Earth's magnetic field at that time. "

"About 120 million years later, the collision of the two continents, which are currently the North and South Pole of Europe. Changes in the direction of that magnetic field are preserved in minerals. that, right after that process, the rocks of these mountains turned around 60º, until they ended in the current direction. "

The patch made up a huge mountain range

Mr. Lozano further explained that, with a rock sample, we can analyze a process that takes place at the level of tectonic plates and specifically acquires new data to help us discover the creation of mountains. This research is currently helping Mr. Lozano and his colleagues to combine the processes of producing mountains in Europe as well as other bended mountain ranges around the world.