Science, Discovery and the Environment

In the remote waters of the Indian Ocean, 

west of Perth, scientists have just discovered 

two sunken islands, almost the size of Tasmania, 

which were once part of the supercontinent 

Gondwana.

"The data collected on the voyage could 

significantly change our understanding of the 

way in which India, Australia and Antarctica 

broke off from Gondwana," said Dr Joanne 

Whittaker, a postdoctoral fellow at the 

University of Sydney's School of Geosciences.

Researchers from the University of Sydney, 

Macquarie University and the University of 

Tasmania led an international team of scientists 

on the voyage to map the seafloor of the Perth 

Abyssal Plain. The expedition returned to Perth 

last week after a three-week cruise.

Travelling on the CSIRO vessel Southern Surveyor 

the scientists discovered the islands through

detailed seafloor mapping and by dredging rock