Heriot-Watt University scientists have recently discovered massive underwater mud waves approximately 400 kilometers off the coast of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. These formations, composed of mud and sand, are located about one kilometer below the seabed.
The discovery, made by geologists Dr. Débora Duarte and Dr. Uisdean Nicholson, suggests the Atlantic Ocean formed millions of years earlier than previously believed. The sediment waves formed in the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway, a seaway that emerged when South America and Africa separated.
The researchers utilized seismic data and well cores from the 1975 Deep Sea Drilling Project to reconstruct tectonic processes from the Mesozoic Era. The sediment waves indicate the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway began around 117 million years ago, challenging the consensus that it opened between 113 and 83 million years ago. These waves, formed by dense, salty water cascading from the gateway, highlight its role in global climate change during the Mesozoic Era.