Researchers from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia announced a sensational discovery: the eighth continent, Zealand, was found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. More than 90% of its territory is currently hidden under water.
The Pacific Ocean in the southwest is shallower than other regions. In this part of the ocean, scientists have discovered a submerged continent with a huge shelf that was once part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, but over time separated from Australia.
Zealand, according to the study, occupied about 5% of the territory of Gondwana. According to scientists, the continent is a single whole, and not a collection of separate parts of land, as previously thought. Its area is approximately 4.9 million square kilometers. Most of Zealand’s territory, about 94%, is under water today. This occurred due to the thinning of the earth’s crust during the Late Cretaceous period, when the continental plate began to break apart.
It is important to note that the discovery was made possible thanks to modern technology. Scientists used bathymetry maps created from satellite gravity data to reconstruct the appearance of the submerged continent. These maps made it possible to convincingly prove that Zealand is not just a few underwater land masses, but a full-fledged continent, which, if its topography had been studied with the same care as the surfaces of Mars or Venus, would have long been recognized as a separate part of the Earth.
Thus, Zealand, which for a long time remained hidden under water, can now be officially recognized as the eighth continent. This discovery underscores the importance of modern research methods that help further understand the structure of our planet.
Source: Telegram channel @kontext_channel
