Now, he and his colleagues are now arguing that a subduction zone, which currently lurks under the Strait of Gibraltar will eventually “invade” the Atlantic.
This will then lead to the formation of a "subduction system" in this ocean – in other words, a line of volcanoes along the coastlines of Africa and Iberia, or an Atlantic Ring of Fire.
What's more, this will all happen "soon" from now, in geological terms – at least 20 million years from now.
The Gibraltar subduction zone – known as the Gibraltar Arc – was once very active, but it has “significantly slowed down in the past millions of years,” according to Duarte’s research, published in the journal Geology.