For several hundred million years, it was sandwiched between southern India and Madagascar, and now rests on the ocean floor under the island of Mauritius, Science World Report reports.
Traces of the ancient continent were discovered by a team of researchers from Norway, South Africa, Germany and Great Britain, whose attention was drawn to ordinary sand from the beaches of the island of Mauritius. As scientific studies have shown, the Indian islands of Lakshadweep and Mauritius were once part of a single microcontinent, which scientists called Mauritia.
Scientists believe that Mauritius was located between southern India and Madagascar about 750 million years ago.
"This is an unexpected discovery that no one could have imagined before," said geologist Lewis Ashwell from South Africa.
According to Professor Trond Torsvik of the University of Oslo, ancient zircons - crystals of zirconium silicate - were found in the beach sand taken for analysis. Some of the minerals were formed in the rocks 600 million years ago, while others - about 1.97 billion years ago. As scientists suggest, zircons from Mauritius hit the surface of the island of Mauritius due to volcanic eruptions.
The study showed that about 83 million years ago, due to volcanic activity in the region, India, along with the Seychelles and fragments of Mauritius, separated from Madagascar, while the main part of Mauritius was still with Madagascar. Tectonic activity and the activity of underwater volcanoes led to the immersion of Mauritius into the ocean.