December 27, 2024

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They have discovered a lost continent about 40 million years ago that was a bridge between Asia and Europe

They have discovered a lost continent about 40 million years ago that was a bridge between Asia and Europe
Researchers have named the lost continent Balkanadolia, which was the gateway between Asia and Europe, when sea level dropped (courtesy of Alexis Liszt, Gregor Metois / French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS)).
Researchers have named the lost continent Balkanadolia, which was the gateway between Asia and Europe, when sea level dropped (courtesy of Alexis Liszt, Gregor Metois / French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS)).

Located between Europe, Africa and Asia A continent that existed about 40 million years ago was home to alien fauna. Also, new research has been published Earth-Science ReviewsThis may have paved the way for Asian mammals Colonizes southern Europe.

This forgotten continent, researchers have named BalkanadoliaIt turned out to be a Gateway between Asia and Europe The sea level dropped about 34 million years ago to form the ground bridge. “It is not yet clear exactly when and how the first wave of Asian mammals arrived in southeastern Europe.”, He explained Archaeologist Alexis Liszt, Along with his colleagues in this study. However, the results are shocking to the development of mankind.

About 34 million years ago, at the end of the Ezine era, when new ones of Asian descent appeared, numerous native mammals disappeared from Western Europe, which was considered a sudden extinction event, now known as the Grande Cooper. However, recent fossil discoveries in the Balkans have altered that chronology, pointing to a biology that experts describe as bizarre.

Archaeological site in Turkey (Büyükteflek) (courtesy of Alexis Liszt, Gregor Metaius / French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS))
Archaeological site in Turkey (Büyükteflek) (courtesy of Alexis Liszt, Gregor Metaius / French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS))

5 to 10 million years before the occurrence of Grande Cooper, the region allowed the colonization of Asian mammals in Southeastern Europe.. To investigate, Liszt and his colleagues returned to the French National Scientific Research Center. Explore sources from all known fossil sites in the region, including present-day Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia in western Asia.

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Liszt, the first author of the study, explained that the age of these sites was revised based on current geographical data, and that the team reconstructed archaeological changes in the region, which “have a complex history of episodic submergence and renaissance.” What they found refers to it The Balkanadolia acted as a link for animals to move from Asia to Western EuropeThe authors explain that the ancient landscape was transformed from an independent continent into a land bridge and the subsequent invasion of Asian mammals coincided with some “dramatic paleogyographic changes”.

About 50 million years ago, Balkanadolia is an isolated archipelago, separated from neighboring continents. The analysis found that unique species of animals from different parts of Europe and East Asia thrived in it. Later, scientists calculated that a combination of declining sea levels, the growth of Antarctic ice and tectonic changes would have connected the continent of Balkanadolia with Western Europe 40 to 34 million years ago. This allowed Asian mammals, rodents and four-legged animals (also known as onculate) invade the Balkans and head west to observe the fossil record.

Fragment of the jawbone of a rhinoceros (about 38 to 35 million years old)
Fragment of the jawbone of a rhinoceros (about 38 to 35 million years old)

In addition to these observations, Liszt and colleagues discovered rhinoceros-like jawbones at a new fossil site in Turkey, dating to about 38 to 35 million years ago. This fossil is the oldest Asian-like onculate found in Anatolia to date. This finding suggests that Asian mammals are well on their way to Europe via the Balkans.

The southern route to Europe via the Balkanadolia was more favorable to nomadic animals than the high latitude route through Central Asia, which at the time was a dry, cold desert meadow with scarce food.Liszt said. However, they point out in their article that “the past connection between the individual Balkanadolian Islands and the existence of this southern expanse is subject to debate” and that the history thus far reconstructed is “based only on the fossils of mammals”. Draw a complete picture of the “last biodiversity of the Balkans”.

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Many of the geological changes that led to Balkanadolia need to be fully understood, and it should be noted that this review is only a group description of the fossil record. “Fossil records of mammals and other vertebrates living on the islands are generally rare and fragmented. The rich topographic fossil record of Balkanadolia offers a unique opportunity to document the evolution and destruction of the island’s biotas in deep time.List completed.

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