Gigantic 'mud waves' reveal the dramatic formation of the Atlantic

The discovery of buried 'mud waves' off the coast of West Africa reveals that the Atlantic Ocean was born at least 4 million years earlier than scientists thought.

- STEPHANIE PAPPAS

These waves, hundreds of metres high and over half a mile long, were caused by the mixing of extremely salty water from the Southern Hemisphere with less salty water from the Northern Hemisphere as South America and Africa tore apart 117 million years ago to form the Atlantic. Previously, the Atlantic was thought to have finished opening between 113 million and 72 million years ago.