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Times of India·3 min read·medium

Earth’s largest ocean is shrinking and could create supercontinent Amasia

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Earth’s largest ocean is shrinking and could create supercontinent Amasia
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Scientists have observed that the Pacific Ocean is gradually shrinking due to tectonic plate subduction, a process that could eventually lead to the formation of a new supercontinent called Amasia. This geological shift is driven by the consumption of the ocean floor at the 'Ring of Fire' subduction zones.

Why it matters

Understanding long-term tectonic movements is essential for predicting the future geography of Earth and the evolution of global climate patterns.

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The world's biggest ocean is also its most doomed one. Now, scientists are worried and they are blaming the tectonic plates for it all. The Pacific Ocean, which is the largest single feature on the surface of the Earth is slowly getting smaller and the irony of it all is as surprising as shocking.Diving into the PacificAccording to NOAA Ocean Exploration, the Pacific covers more than 155 million square kilometres, roughly 60 million square miles. The total land area of every continent and island on the planet only comes to about 149 million square kilometres. Thus, the Pacific, on its own, is larger than all of that with more room left over. It covers about a third of the Earth's surface and holds roughly half of all the water in the world's oceans.

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