Australia is the fastest-moving continent on the planet, creeping northwards by 7cms every year, and will one day collide with Asia, which will have massive consequences
Scientists have issued a warning that a moving continent is on a collision course with Asia – a natural but potentially catastrophic event that will alter the world as we know it.
Australia is inching northwards (moving 2.8 inches every year to be precise) and is set to collide with Asia one day. Although this is millions of years away, the resulting geological changes and landscape reshaping will be monumental. Plate tectonics have long been shifting the Earth’s continents and since Australia separated from Antarctica, it has been slowly moving north.
However, scientists predict that this will eventually lead to the Indo-Australian plate colliding with Asia, causing massive shifts in climate and biodiversity, not to mention earthquakes, mountain formations and volcanic activity. Even though the collision is far off, Australia’s steady movement is already having an impact, with increased seismic activity in the region.
This could potentially trigger earthquakes and professor Zheng-Xiang Li, of Curtin University, has been studying this for years. “Whether we like it or not, the Australian continent is going to collide with Asia,” he cautioned back in 2009.
He further added: “Australia is moving northwards 7cms every year, towards Asia. Its very real, that’s the same speed that our finger nails grow each year.
“We believe that the Earth evolves in a cyclic pattern, where the continents move apart and now are moving back together. When the continents come together, the earth’s crust will form a sort of ring of fire around the new super-continent.”
This tectonic activity once resulted in the formation of the Great Barrier Reef when Australia shifted into tropical waters – and other significant changes will occur as it continues its journey north. The unique wildlife of Australia, including kangaroos, wombats and platypus, could be affected when the land merges with Asia.
This has sparked a variety of theories among scientists. Some fear that Asian mammals could drive Australia’s animals to extinction. Others think that wombats, possums, and tree kangaroos might flourish in the new environment.
Australia’s movement is already causing problems for the current generation. In 2016, it was discovered that Australia’s GPS coordinate system was off by 1.5 metres before the official coordinates had to be updated.
The agriculture, motor and aviation industries also face challenges, with navigation systems, infrastructure and satellite mapping requiring regular updates to prevent serious disruptions due to the continent’s movement.
The shifting of plate tectonics is an unstoppable natural phenomenon that will continue to shape our world for millions of years. When questioned about whether humans will witness the eventual collision of Australia with Asia, Professor Zheng-Xiang Li responded with a hopeful: “I hope so.”
