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Discovering a new tourist attraction daily doesn't seem like a big deal, but what if I tell you that international scientists have discovered a whole new continent and now calling it the 8th continent on planet Earth, "Zealandia"? Interesting right? Let us dig into the topic more and uncover some amazing facts about our 8th continent.
Zealandia, the eighth continent that has been submerged in the Pacific Ocean for the past 375 years, has been discovered by international scientists in an exciting and ground-breaking discovery. This amazing discovery has created a great deal of curiosity and excitement among both the scientific community and the general population.
Zealandia, which covers an area of almost 4.9 million square kilometers, is not completely novel. Geological experts have long suspected the existence of this submerged landmass, but it has only recently been given official recognition as a separate continent after meticulously compiling and analyzing the scientific evidence.
Due to its underwater position, Zealandia has mostly gone undiscovered, leaving questions regarding its form and structure. To correct this, a group of international geologists & seismologists examined rock and sediment samples taken from the ocean floor and nearby islands to improve the existing maps of Zealandia.
The first indication of its existence came in 1642 when Dutch sailor Abel Tasman set out to find a vast continent in the Southern Hemisphere. Then, it was initially uncovered by a team of geologists in 2017, and it originally belonged to the long-gone supercontinent of Gondwana, which was created around 550 million years ago. Zealandia parted from Antarctica about 100 million years ago, and subsequently, it broke from Australia 80 million years ago.
According to earlier studies, the supercontinent Gondwana split apart 83 million years ago by geological forces, leading to the formation of the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, South and North America, Australia, and Antarctica. It also contributed to the development of Zealandia, a mainly underwater continent.
Tuesday, 26th September 2023 saw the publication of a detailed map of Zealandia in a brand-new study that was published in the journal Tectonics. A more accurate map of Zealandia, also known as Te Riu-a-Maui, has been produced by a small team of geologists and seismologists.
The fact that most of Zealandia is underwater makes it difficult to classify as a separate continent. Only a small portion of Zealandia's landmass, including New Zealand & New Caledonia, is visible above sea level; approximately 94% of Zealandia is submerged beneath the ocean. The study of Zealandia has become challenging and intricate due to its distinctive features.
Though Zealandia's discovery is unquestionably a spectacular accomplishment, it also serves to demonstrate how rapidly scientific knowledge is expanding. Our understanding of the Earth and its geological processes continues to deepen and expand the reach of our understanding when it comes to our planet Earth.
