Zealandia Revealed: ‘Missing Eighth’ Continent Half The Size Of Europe Finally Mapped Out In Full
Back in 2017, geologists discovered an eighth continent Zealandia. Five years later, they have successfully mapped its entirety.
Zealandia, also known as Te Riu-A Māui in the Māori language, is situated in the South Pacific and is believed to have separated from Australia over 60 million years ago.
The research team managed to map out 4.9 million square kilometres encompassing the entire continent, the majority of which is underwater. This area makes it half the size of Europe which is estimated to be 10.53 million square kilometres.
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The submerged continent has 95% of its surface on the ocean floor, with New Zealand being the most recognisable landmass of Zealandia.
However, many mysteries remain about the eighth continent, including how it ended up underwater and whether it ever consisted of dry land.
What do you make of this discovery?
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