Europe will have land borders with Morocco

For millions of years, the African plate has been moving northward. This slow geological process, which began after the fragmentation of Pangaea, has already shaped the current landscapes by creating the Rif Mountains in Morocco and the Betic Cordillera in Spain. This rapprochement continues today at a rate of 4 to 6 millimeters per year.

Research conducted by the University of the Basque Country provides new insights into this phenomenon. According to this study published in Gondwana Research and cited by El Debate, Spain and Portugal are not just moving: they are rotating clockwise, unlike the rest of the European continent.

This pivoting is explained by the mechanics of the collision between the Eurasian and African plates. While to the east of the strait, the impact is absorbed by the Earth’s crust, the situation is different to the west. There, a direct thrust of the African plate is exerted on the peninsula, forcing it to move southwest and rotate on itself.

To reach these conclusions, the scientists analyzed more than 2,000 earthquakes over a period of twenty years. They measured a rotation of between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees per million years. This is an imperceptible change for humans, but significant on a geological scale.

The ultimate consequence of this movement is the scheduled closure of the western Mediterranean. If the current trend continues, the Strait of Gibraltar will eventually disappear, physically reuniting Morocco and Spain. However, this scenario is not expected to materialize for at least 10 million years.