Davis Strait

Current context: A newly discovered submerged landmass was found beneath the icy waters of the Davis Strait a Study Led By Scientists from the United Kingdom and Sweden.

Key Highlights:

• A previously hidden landmass, called the Davis Strait proto-microcontinent, was found beneath the icy waters of the Davis Strait.
• The discovery was made through satellite gravity data and seismic readings.
• The proto-microcontinent is formed from unusually thick continental crust (12-15 miles or 19-24 km thick).

About Davis Strait

• A bay in the northern Atlantic Ocean between southeastern Baffin Island (Canada) and southwestern Greenland.
• Separates Baffin Bay (north) from the Labrador Sea (south).
• Forms part of the Northwest Passage, connecting the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
• Known as one of the broadest straits in the world.

Home to complex geological features like underwater basins and ridges, formed by strike-slip faulting along the Ungava Fault Zone 45-62 million years ago.