Rocks reveal surprising past of Tassie

New research discredits the commonly held belief that Tasmania is simply an offshoot of mainland Australia, with geologists concluding the island state was once sandwiched between Antarctica and North America.

Analysis of sedimentary rocks found in northwest Tasmania, corroborates a link between the now separate continents, researchers from the University of Tasmania have revealed.

"Importantly, it also indicates that Tasmania was situated a substantial distance away from the land masses that later formed modern day Australia," PhD student Jacob Mulder said in a statement on Monday.