For nearly four centuries, scientists have speculated about the existence of Zealandia - a giant, mysterious continent submerged under the ocean. Now, Zealandia has been officially recognized as Earth's eighth continent, opening the door to exploring the history and geology of our planet.
Daily Galaxy reported on January 20 that Zealandia's story began 500 million years ago when it was part of the supercontinent Gondwana - including Antarctica, Australia, South America and Africa.
About 100 million years ago, Gondwana began to break apart. However, unlike most other continents, Zealandia experienced significant subsidence.
Zealandia drifted away from eastern Australia and about 94% of the land mass sank below the ocean floor, leaving only New Zealand and New Caledonia above water.
The exact reason behind Zealandia’s dramatic sinking remains a mystery. Scientists speculate that tectonic stretching and crustal thinning played a major role. These processes left the continent hidden beneath layers of ocean sediment, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint.
With an area of up to 4.9 million km2 (nearly 2/3 of Australia) but located 2 km deep under the sea, Zealandia almost "disappeared" from the Earth map, until modern technology helped scientists uncover this mystery.
Zealandia was first proposed by explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, but it wasn't until 2017 that researchers at GNS Science (New Zealand) determined the continent's boundaries using deep drilling and seafloor mapping technology.
Despite its geological structure meeting the criteria for a continent, Zealandia's recognition was not easy because most of its area was submerged under the deep sea.
“Everything is more than 2 km below the surface, and the sediment layers that need to be studied are 500 meters deeper below the seabed,” shared Professor Robert Sutherland (Victoria University, Wellington).
Despite these obstacles, scientists have successfully gathered evidence confirming Zealandia's continental status. This includes Zealandia's distinct geological composition, which fits the criteria used to define a continent.
Zealandia has not only rewritten the Earth’s geography, but has also helped scientists better understand how continents formed, broke apart, and changed over millions of years. Researchers hope that exploring Zealandia will provide more data on the movement of tectonic plates, climate change, and the evolution of marine ecosystems.
The discovery of Zealandia shows that, even in the age of modern technology, the Earth still holds countless secrets waiting to be solved. This sunken continent is a testament to humanity’s perseverance and never-ending curiosity. Who knows how many other “lost” continents lie beneath the ocean’s depths, waiting to be discovered?
