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Mauritia
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Infographic showing the locations and timelines of ancient and submerged continents including Mauritia and Zealandia on modern maps, and paleocontinents Rodinia, Laurentia, Pangea, and Gondwana on reconstructed ancient Earth maps, with explanatory text about their formation and breakup.
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Mauritia

submerged continent
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Infographic showing the locations and timelines of ancient and submerged continents including Mauritia and Zealandia on modern maps, and paleocontinents Rodinia, Laurentia, Pangea, and Gondwana on reconstructed ancient Earth maps, with explanatory text about their formation and breakup.
paleocontinent Infographic showing evidence of submerged continents that formed and broke up during Earth's geologic history.

The query contains a misunderstanding. "Mauritia" is not a submerged continent; rather, it is the name scientists have given to a hypothesized submerged continental crust in the Indian Ocean. The island country of Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Africa.12

Evidence for Mauritia comes from studies of gravitational anomalies and the discovery of ancient zircons on Mauritius that date back 2.5 to 3 billion years. These findings suggest that the zircons originated from a much older, submerged landmass that once connected to India. This ancient continental crust is thought to extend from Mauritius towards India's coast.3

It is important to distinguish this geological feature from the island nation of Mauritius and the genus of South American palms also named Mauritia.42

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
6 Britannica Sources
  1. Mauritius
  2. A Tale of Two Submerged Continents
  3. Mauritia
  4. Mauritius
  5. Mauritius - Soils and climate
  6. Mauritius - Relief and drainage

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