Role reversal: Is Europe about to move below Africa as direction of tectonic plates shifts?

Just found this fascinating articale in today's Daily Mail. What is going on in the world?? Is it me or are there now an almost daily parade of doomsday scenarios coming to light.Ive never seen so many stories of possible cataclysmic events being predicted as I have this year.

On the move: The event of a tectonic plate subduction can result in huge natural events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...
Europe could be moving beneath Africa as the two continents shift closer together, scientists believe.

Geologists say a pause in the movement between the two continents could mean the tectonic plates are about to change direction, in what has been described as a 'scientifically fascinating' development.

The northern edge of the African tectonic plate has descended under Europe for millions of years but recently this process halted, it has been reported.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...
According to the BBC, this new development could herald the beginning of a rare - and scientifically fascinating - event of a new subduction zone.

The dense rock at the far north of the African tectonic plate, beneath the Mediterranean Sea, has practically sunk under the Eurasian plate, on which Europe sits.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

reply to post by tarifa37


Not trying to rain on your parade tarifa37, But it stated at the end of the column at the daily mail,

"Professor Wortel said: 'We'll keep track of the seismic activity to see whether it continues to indicate this underthrusting of the Mediterranean subsurface underneath North Africa. But it's not going to mature in the lifetime of a scientist".

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

I must admit i quite like the thought of "migrating" to the southern end of Africa, Put the property prices up a bit and no more time shares,

reply to post by foxhoundone


No idea ,could it happen tomorrow or in many years time.

reply to post by tarifa37

Lets just ponder, What if this did happen soon, Would the poles be affected, and tidal times/sizes, not to mention food production which is mainly cattle and wheat, The tourist industry would boom id imagine

so does this mean that Africa would end up sliding across the top of europe? now that would be something to see...but i doubt that alot of us would be here or see it because it would probably take forever to happen or if it did happen suddenly the water displacement would cause tsunamis and earthquakes greater than we could ever imagine and probaly wipe most of out...

As I read the article, I am well aware that such large scale geological events take years and years to evolve.
Still, I believe that we need to wonder whether this could indicate an increase in the seismic and volcano
activity in the Mediterranean area. Such an increase could happen even now, it doesn't wait till the event is complete, right?

Ok... I find it rather shocking that a thread like this has not had much popularity...

In all sincerity Africa isnt going to be sitting on top of Europe any time soon, maybe in a x hundred thousand years or even longer, probably the latter. Its taken over 200 million years for the plates to be in the position they are after splitting from Pangea and theyre still moving at a ridiculously slow speed. So I dont see this happening soon.

reply to post by Ficargul


Of course it isn't going to happen anytime soon. But if the process has only just started, it might mean an increase in Earth's activity. Shouldn't we keep an eye on the area just in case?

To be honest Im going to worry more about putting food on my table or worry about the earthquakes that are happening right now and destroying peoples lives rather than something that could ultimately take millions of years to happen.