The largest delta plain in Earth's history formed along the northern coast of the supercontinent Pangea in the late Triassic. Its size out-scales modern counterparts by an order of magnitude, and approximates 1% of the total land area of the modern world.

And although contenders are found in the rock record, no ancient counterpart exceeds the extent of the Triassic delta plain mapped in the subsurface Barents Sea either.

An important part of this study by, published in Geology, was to document and compare the size of the delta plain, but also to understand why it grew so large.

Aerially extensive 3-D seismic datasets and rock samples collected for petroleum exploration in the Barents Sea have revealed that delta plains covered the entire basin during the Triassic.

Comparing the size of this delta plain to modern and - more challenging - ancient delta plains shows that the Triassic delta plains of the Barents Sea were the largest in Earth's history that has been preserved in the rock record.

Its tremendous size accounts for nearly 1% of the land areas of the modern world, and was facilitated by a vast drainage area feeding sediments to a shallow basin were sediments accumulated.

Research paper

Related Links
Geological Society of America
Tectonic Science and News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

A first glimpse deep beneath an ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge
Oslo, Norway (SPX) Mar 27, 2019
More than 100 years ago, the German meteorologist and avid balloonist Alfred Wegener remarked in a letter to his future wife Elsa Koppen on an odd pattern he noticed on world maps "Doesn't the east coast of South America fit exactly against the west coast of Africa, as if they had once been joined?" he reportedly wrote in December 1910. "This is an idea I'll have to pursue." Wegener's insight eventually led to the understanding, many decades and much debate later, that the Earth is made of plates ... read more