Scientists are studying the remains of a lost continent found under the Indian Ocean. The continent is believed to be 50 to 100 million years old.

Scientists studying the prehistoric landmass, named Mauritia, think the land mass was pulled apart by plate tectonics.

After mapping the area, analyzing rocks and plate movement as well as using computer reconstructive programming to help put these puzzle pieces together, scientist have determined that the Indian Ocean may be hiding the remains of a large prehistoric continent.

Geologists from the University of Oslo studied sand on the island grain by grain and found traces of zirconium-silicate, a type of sand that is not easily eroded or affected by chemical change.

The presence of these crystals on the ancient land mass suggest it may have once been part of Madagascar, since the beaches there contain the same crystal substance.

The study suggests that this evidence may lead to other "ghost continents" as nature.com put it.

This could mean that the Earth's oceans are filled with the remains of prehistoric and ancient lands that could have possibly housed civilizations.

The first ancient landmass that comes to mind is the lost city of Atlantis. Plato was the originator of the legend, which says that the city was a rich, utopian society, created by the gods. One evening the city sank beneath the ocean never to bee seen again.

Scholars and scientists say the legend is just that a legend and the city never existed. But the story of Atlantis still holds a place in the popular imagination.

The discovery of Mauritia opens up the scientific community to the discovery of more secret lands hiding beneath the Earth's crust.