The planet Earth has more hidden gems than we know, as we see another continent in the list, Zealandia. As per reports, scientists took 375 years to discover this eighth continent called Zealandia because of its location. However, it’s a matter of debate among the geologists as to whether Zealandia is a continent or another lost island.
As per the official data, we have seven continents: Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Antarctica. These land masses have passed the criteria for being a continent. These are – firstly, continents should have defined boundaries; the area must be more than 1 million sq km; there must be a clear distinction between land and ocean; and lastly, continental thrust is greater than oceanic thrust.
Let’s learn some facts about the newly-discovered continent Zealandia:
Zealandia is a submerged continent; currently, 96 percent of the land is submerged under the ocean, and only 6 percent is on the surface, which is New Zealand. As per the findings published on September 12, 2023, in the journal Tectonics, scientists studied the dredged rock samples from the seafloor to determine the land.
The total surface area of Zealandia is approximately 4.9 million square kilometers, according to a BBC report, which is six times larger than Madagascar. Interestingly, most of the land is submerged in the ocean.
Zealandia was discovered in 2017, but the actual discovery started in 1642 by a Dutch sailor, Abel Tasman. The term “Zealandia” was first used to refer to New Zealand, the Chatham Rise, the Campbell Plateau, and the Lord Howe Rise in 1995 by American geophysicist Bruce Luyendyk. Later, 11 geologists from Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia concluded that Zealandia meets all the requirements to be classified as a submerged continent in 2017.
Comparatively, Zealandia is a young continent of approximately one billion years old, having broken from Australia about 60–85 million years ago. Antarctica was divided roughly between 85 and 120 million years ago.
A thorough map of Zealandia, also known as ‘Te Riu-a-Maui’, was released in the journal on September 26, 2023, offering a more accurate depiction of this fascinating continent.