The Kerguelen Plateau: basis for a lost continent?

The Kerguelen Plateau is an underwater volcanic large igneous province in the Indian Ocean. It lies about 3,000 km to the southwest of Australia and is nearly three times the size of Japan. The plateau extends for more than 2,200 km in a northwest-southeast direction and lies in deep water. The plateau was produced by the Kerguelen hotspot, starting with or following the breakup of Gondwanaland about 130 Mya. There is a small portion of the plateau that breaks sea level, forming the Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island and the McDonald Islands.

In 1999, drilling by the JOIDES Resolution research vessel in the Indian Ocean discovered evidence [1] that a large island, the Kerguelen Plateau, was submerged about 20 million years ago by rising sea levels. Samples showed pollen and fragments of wood in a 90 million-year-old sediment. This might lead one to expect similarity of dinosaur fossil evidence and will help to understand the breakup of the Indian and Australian land masses;

The drill



[edit on 17/5/08 by Hanslune]

Let me add some more science links

An abstract

More links to an abstract

A story

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. During the late 1700s, many explorers were searching for a legendary large southern continent they called "Terra Australis," which they believed to exist and which they were anxious to claim and colonize for the country for which they sailed.

Yves Joseph de Kerguélen-Trémarac discovered La France Australe (today's Kerguelen island chain in the Indian Ocean just north of Antarctica) in 1772, and in that same year claimed this 'southern motherland' for France.

Upon returning home, his eloquent rhapsodizing to the reigning French monarch about Kerguélen's superb agricultural and mineral potential resulted in the king dispatching three ships and 700 men to colonize Kerguelen in 1773. However, 699 pairs of eyes couldn't lie. They saw only the tiny volcanic islands, but no massive continent as Kerguélen had claimed. (They had no way of knowing then that a small continent lay about two kilometers below the volcanic islands, and it would be 1999 before the land mass would be discovered by Coffin, Frey and other scientists on the research team.) Upon Kerguélen's second homecoming to France, he was court-martialed, sentenced to 20 years in prison, and dismissed from the Navy for exaggerating his findings.

[edit on 17/5/08 by Hanslune]

Interesting topic. I just stumbled upon the Kerguelen Plateau and Zealandia myself the other day while browsing wikipedia.

Thanks hanslume, very interesting.

Be very difficult to obtain fossil evidence as it is 2km below the sea but it would be very interesting what creatures lived on the landmass before it submerged.

They did dredging (covered in one of the reports above) and found evidence of earlier life. Seems ti submerged about 20 million years ago

Originally posted by sinema
Thanks hanslume, very interesting.

Be very difficult to obtain fossil evidence as it is 2km below the sea but it would be very interesting what creatures lived on the landmass before it submerged.

also if its on a hot spot any fossils would have been destroyed by the heat and pressure

9th grade earth science

Fossils would have survived if they were in fact fossilized

My company is interested about purchasing ground on Kerguelen Island (Archipel des Kergulen).
Exactly we would like to know:
- do is there any possibility to buy land there?
- do is there possibility to buy real estate only on middle of island or also at coast?
- Who should we contact for further detailed information’s?

Our company needs a small harbor on west coasts of the main island. We will be grateful for any information’s.

Reply on [email protected] please + thank You