Did you know that there is a continent you probably haven't heard of? It's called Zealandia, or Te Riu-a-Maui in the Maori language. Discovered in 2017, Zealandia made headlines globally for its unique characteristics and its status as the eighth continent.
Spanning over 5 million square kilometers, Zealandia is twice the size of India. However, you might be wondering why you haven't heard about it before. Well, that's because 95 percent of its area is submerged beneath the southwest Pacific Ocean, disappearing long before humans even existed on Earth. Only the two islands of New Zealand and some small oceanic islands are visible on the surface.
Although Zealandia remains largely inaccessible, a team of geologists from around the world has managed to compile a new geological map of the continent. This map was created using a combination of rock samples recovered from the sea and geophysical mapping methods.
During their exploration, geologists discovered large sandstone formations and deposits of basaltic rock pebbles along the outer margins of Zealandia. These sandstones are estimated to be around 95 million years old and contain older granite and volcanic pebbles. This suggests that the continent was once a landmass with rivers flowing from volcanic highlands, filling up tectonic basins. The highlands themselves were an active volcanic range around 30 to 50 million years earlier but were likely eroded when the sandstone was deposited.
The flooding of Zealandia began approximately 40 million years ago, as evidenced by the discovery of basalt pebbles associated with underwater volcanism. As the continent gradually submerged, only its mountain chains and some smaller islands remained visible above the water's surface.
Although Zealandia is still shrouded in mystery, this recent study published in the journal 'Tectonics' sheds some light on its geology and history. With further research, we hope to uncover more about this elusive eighth continent.
So, the next time you're brushing up on your geography, don't forget to include Zealandia in your list of continents. It may be mostly hidden beneath the ocean, but its discovery has opened up a whole new world of scientific exploration and understanding.
