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Australia, the world’s fastest-moving continent, is moving 7cm (XNUMXin) per year towards Asia. Over millions of years, this collision could transform ecosystems, change the climate and even rewrite the planet’s maps!
Have you ever imagined waking up millions of years from now and discovering that Australia has merged with Asia? Yes, it may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but this process is already underway — and every year, the world's smallest continent moves about 7 cm towards Southeast Asia. It may not seem like much, but in the long term, this movement will change the planet in ways that cannot even be fully predicted.
And the craziest thing? This displacement happens at the same speed where our nails grow. Yes, while you cut your nails every week, Australia is getting closer to Asia, without anyone being able to stop it. But how did this start? And what might happen in the future?
Australia's Journey Through Time
Hundreds of millions of years ago, all the continents we know today were stuck together in a superblock called Pangaea. Australia was part of this large landmass, until everything started to separate.
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Around 80 million years ago, Australia finally broke away from Antarctica and began its own journey. And it hasn't stopped moving since.
The constant movement of the Indo-Australian plate on the continent
The Australian continent has a clear destination: north. For 50 million years, it has been slowly moving in that direction and has no plans to stop any time soon.
The curious detail? This shift happens so slowly that no one notices it in everyday life. But in the long run, it makes all the difference. So much so that in 2016, maps of Australia were 1,5 meters out of place! This forced the government to adjust the country's geographic coordinates so that GPS and digital maps would not become out of date.
And as Professor Zheng-Xiang Li of Curtin University said: “Whether we like it or not, the Australian continent is going to collide with Asia.”
The impact of continental drift
This shift from Australia is not something new, and one of the most fascinating impacts of this movement was the creation of the Great Barrier Reef. As the continent moved northward, it entered a region with tropical waters, creating the perfect environment for the growth of coral reefs.
In other words, without this movement, one of the most incredible ecosystems in the world might not even exist.
Australia may be an island, but that doesn't mean it's standing still. As we mentioned, in 2016, the country had to update its coordinates because its maps were off by almost 2 meters.
Now, imagine what it will be like millions of years from now! Entire cities could be in completely different locations than they are today.
What happens when Australia collides with Asia?
Australia is famous for its unique animals — kangaroos, koalas, platypuses… But what happens when these exotic fauna meet animals from Asia?
Many people are already discussing this, and some predictions are not very encouraging. Some species may become extinct due to competition from Asian animals that are better adapted to certain environments. Others may evolve to survive in this new scenario.
And the biggest change on the continent? The climate! Australia could end up in the tropical zone, becoming much hotter and wetter than it is today. In other words, a country that has giant deserts could turn into a huge tropical forest.
Increased seismic activity
Another thing that is likely to happen is an increase in earthquakes. When two tectonic plates collide, the pressure generated can cause tremors and even tsunamis.
Today this movement is still too slow to cause major disasters. But in the future, this could be a problem.
If humanity does not self-destruct before
In millions of years, everything will end here on Earth, and in billions of years, when the sun becomes a red and then white dwarf, there will be no solar system, no planets, nothing, just empty space.
We (America) are also heading towards Asia and we will all join together in 300 million years.