User:N8mitchell/Continental fragment

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• synonymous with microcontinents,^[1] are pieces of continents that have broken off from main continental masses to form distinct islands and often several hundred kilometers from their place of origin.^[2]

  Causes

  Continental fragments and microcontinent crustal compositions are very similar to those of regular continental crust. The rifting process that caused the continental fragments to form most likely impacts their layers and overall thickness along with the addition of mafic intrusions to the crust. Studies have determined that the average crustal thickness of continental fragments is approximately 24.8±5.7km^[3]. The sedimentary layer of continental fragments can be up to 5km thick and can overlay two to three crustal layers. Continental fragments have an average crustal density of 2.81 g cm^-3 which is very similar to that of typical continental crust.

  crustal thinning across narrow zones and near-vertical strike-slip-dominated faults. They develop fault-block patterns that slice the portion of continent into detachable slivers. The continental fragments are located at various angles from their transform faults^[4]
  .

  History

  Some microcontinents are fragments of

  inland seas flooding its margins.^[8]

  Several islands in the eastern

  Seram-Ambon complex (Maluku).^[10]

  List of continental fragments and microcontinents

  Continental fragments (pieces of Pangaea smaller than Australia)

  

  • Azores Plateau^{[citation needed]}
  • Bollons Seamount – Continental fragment seamount southeast of New Zealand
  • East Tasman Plateau – Submerged microcontinent south east of Tasmania
  • Gilbert Seamount
     – Continental fragment seamount west of New ZealandPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Jan Mayen Microcontinent – Atlantic fragment of continental crust
  • Madagascar – Island country in the Indian Ocean
  • Mascarene Plateau – Submarine plateau in the western Indian Ocean
    • Seychelles microcontinent
       – A microcontinent underlying the Seychelles Islands in the western Indian OceanPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Mauritia – A Precambrian microcontinent that broke away as India and Madagascar separated
  • Parts of Wallaby Plateau – Undersea bathymetric high west of Australia
  • Possibly Sumba, Timor, and other islands of eastern Indonesia; Sulawesi formed via the subduction of a microcontinent
  • Rockall Plateau – Bathymetric feature northwest of Scotland and Ireland
  • Socotra – Largest of four islands of the Socotra Archipelago, Yemen^[11]
  • South Orkney Microcontinent^[12]
  • Zealandia – Mostly submerged continental crust area in Oceania

  Other microcontinents (formed post-Pangaea)

  • Barbados – Island nation in the Caribbean
  • Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and other granitic Caribbean islands
  • Kerguelen Plateau – Oceanic plateau in the southern Indian Ocean

  References

  1. ISBN 978-0-87590-203-6. But, using Scrutton's definition, "microcontinent" is a narrower term, excluding aseismic ridges of continental material, such as the Lomonosov Ridge and the Jan Mayen Ridge
     , which could still be considered "continental fragments".
  2. ISBN 978-962-593-076-3
     .
  3. ISSN 1869-9529
     .
  4. ISSN 0305-8719
     .
  5. ISBN 978-962-593-076-3
     .
  6. ^ UT Austin scientist plays major rule in study of underwater "micro-continent". Retrieved on 2007-07-03
  7. ^ Sci/Tech 'Lost continent' discovered Retrieved on 2007-07-03
  8. ISSN 1354-0793
     .
  9. ISSN 0149-1423
     .
  10. ISBN 978-962-593-076-3
      .
  11. ^ "Socotra Archipelago – a lifeboat in the sea of changes: advancement in Socotran insect biodiversity survey" (PDF). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae. 52 (supplementum 2): 1–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-11.
  12. hdl:11449/36781
      .
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