What is Argoland?

Nov. 17, 2023

Geologists recently discovered Argoland, a landmass that detached from modern-day western Australia 155 million years ago.

About Argoland:

It was a lost continent that once broke off from northwestern Australia 155 million years ago.
The elusive, 3,106-mile stretch was once an integral part of the supercontinent Gondwana.
It disintegrated as tectonic forces stretched the landmass out and drove it away from the rest of the continent before scattering it across Southeast Asia.
It had initially drifted northwest, where several Southeast Asian islands currently exist today.
But unlike India, which broke off the ancient supercontinent Gondwana 120 million years ago and still forms an intact landmass today, Argoland splintered into fragments.
These fragments, reaching their destinations simultaneously, formed an archipelago rather than a unified landmass.
Argoland, now dispersed as an archipelago separated by ocean basins, contributed to the formation of several Southeast Asian islands.

Key Facts about Gondwana:

Gondwana used to be a supercontinent, from around 550 million years ago to approximately 180 million years ago, alongside Laurasia.
The continent eventually split into the landmasses we recognise today: Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula.