The Atlantic Ocean will close up in the future.

The vast ocean between Europe and America will close in 20 million years due to the effects of a subduction zone.

These tectonic plates form the Atlantic Ocean. Photo: NOAA — These tectonic plates form the Atlantic Ocean. Photo: *NOAA*

Just before the continents begin drifting back together, researchers predict an "Atlantic Ring of Fire" will form, causing tectonic activity to shift from the Mediterranean into the Atlantic, according to a study published in the journal Geology, Newsweek reported on February 16. This will begin to happen in about 20 million years. That's a short time in geological terms, but an extremely long time for humans.

Tectonic plates are constantly shifting at extremely slow speeds. Sometimes, oceans are formed when tectonic plates move apart and close when they drift back together after hundreds of millions of years, a process known as the Wilson Cycle. This process is what caused the supercontinent Pangaea to break apart 180 million years ago, forming the Atlantic Ocean, and caused the ancient Tethys Ocean to shrink into the Mediterranean Sea we know today.

For the Atlantic Ocean to close, new subduction zones need to form. These are areas where one tectonic plate is pushed beneath another, sinking into the Earth's mantle, caused by a difference in density between the two plates. Typically, one oceanic tectonic plate will be subducted beneath another continental or oceanic plate.

Subduction zones are characterized by intense geological activity, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of ocean trenches. However, these areas are difficult to form because tectonic plates are very rigid, and subduction zones require a tectonic plate to break and bend. Nevertheless, pre-existing subduction zones can shift during a process called subduction encroachment.

According to research using computer models to predict future tectonic plates from the University of Lisbon, the Mediterranean subduction zone beneath the Strait of Gibraltar will move further into the Atlantic Ocean over the next 20 million years, creating an Atlantic Ring of Fire similar to the one in the Pacific. João Duarte, a researcher at the Dom Luiz Institute of the University of Lisbon, and his colleagues describe how the Gibraltar subduction zone has slowed down over the past few million years. Few scientists believe it remains active. However, once this subduction zone enters the Atlantic, it will become more active, driving the Atlantic to close.

"There are two other subduction zones at either end of the Atlantic: the Lesser Antilles in the Mediterranean and the Scotia Arc near Antarctica. However, those subduction zones encroached on the Atlantic a few million years ago. Studying the Gibraltar zone is an invaluable opportunity because it allows us to observe the process in its early, recent stages," Duarte shared.

The research team concluded that invasive subduction zones may be a common way for oceans like the Atlantic to close, and therefore a crucial factor influencing how the planet has evolved geologically.

An Khang (According to Newsweek )

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