Posted on 03/15/2014 2:48:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Chilean and French scientists have discovered a network of underground caves on a remote island in Patagonia that could provide valuable clues as to how continents were formed.
The group found the system of around 20 limestone caves this week during a research trip to Diego de Almagro island off the far southwest coast of Chile.
Scientists had to abseil and scubadive to get into the caves, some of which are around 50 meters deep (165 feet). They found wall paintings and bone fragments left by the indigenous Kawesqar people that could help date the caves.
"You can make models of areas where the continents broke off and this could be one of those spots," said speleologist Natalia Morata.
The expedition is the latest in a series by the French Centre Terre association, who have found types of rock in the caves normally found in more temperate zones. That could give clues as to how the continents split apart.
Scientists believe continents move due to plate tectonics, and that the map of the Earth would have looked very different millions of years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
These people should have read GGG for the last 12 years.
I have sworn off abseiling for good. Rappelling only for me.
It seems strange to date something “millions of years ago” by something no more than tens of thousands of years old (wall paintings).
It's Reuters. Anything older than 39 is too old to be of any concern about actual age.
WTH was wrong with rappelling ??
If yer 'sailing' it's prolly gonna hurt.
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Proposed maps of continental movement for the last five hundred or so million years have placed Patagonia relatively close to the South Pole for most of that time span. However temperate and warm climates are indicated near the Pole for long periods of time. This will be interesting to watch if they are going after fossils in limestone for their projections.
natürlich
I believe this is the reason for all the sinkholes in Florida. Florida is in the extremely slow process of breaking off from the continental US.
bump
They found giant turnbuckles and cables holding the continents together......
Here is one of the workers http://tinyurl.com/qbb27t6
Cool. Also cool is that I learned a new word: abseil.
Expanding Earth theory?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJfBSc6e7QQ
I wonder if they've checked out the above-ground caves?
9 And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good.
Scientists believe continents move due to plate tectonics, and that the map of the Earth would have looked very different millions of years ago.
No s***, Little Beaver? You betch'em, Red Ryder!
Sounds like these researchers were really looking for a way to turn their vacation in the Southern Hemisphere, to escape all the Global Warming in the N.H., into a paying proposition.
At this point, I wouldn’t mind a job like that — take a vacation in order to go to work. :’)
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