A giant island is discovered in the middle of the ocean and one country is already ahead of the rest by claiming sovereignty

While science nowadays understands a lot about the world, our planet definitely knows how to keep a secret. Scientists have discovered an island off the coast of Brazil that, until now, was not very well understood. But things are changing.

A group of researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP, Brazil) have analysed Rio Grande Rise (RGR), a possible continental plateau basalt - the result of a giant volcanic eruption that covers the ocean floor with basalt lava - around 1,200km off the coast of Brazil. Some are even calling it ‘a lost continent’.

And now, after 10 years of research, those investigating have discovered that the surface of the island may well be the same size as Spain. Until recently, the Rio Grande Rise was considered an area of international waters and was under the careful watch of the United Nations International Seabed Authority (how I would not like to go for a drink with the person who runs that meeting). However, Brazil have requested a border extension beyond the 200-mile zone, which would include the mineral-rich island.

Secrets discovered of 45-million-year-old island

IO-USP professor Luigi Jovane, who has supervised the missions to study the island, explained to the Huffington Post that her task is to “define the presence of the island”, adding that “what is being discussed now is whether this area can be included in the Brazilian continental shelf”.

“Geologically, we were able to discover that the clays were formed after the last volcanic activities recorded 45 million years ago, that is to say: their formation took place between 30 million and 40 million years ago. And it would have occurred as a consequence of tropical conditions,” he said.

“It is critical to understand the ecosystem services and natural processes at work in the Rio Grande Rise,” Jovane added.

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