Geoscientists have uncovered a continent that has been lurking in plain sight for about 375 years. A team of geologists and seismologists has refined the map of Zealandia, also known as Te Riu-a-Maui.
The researchers discovered it by analyzing data from dredging rock samples recovered from the ocean floor. The findings of the study were published in the journal Tectonics.
Zealandia is a massive continent that is roughly six times the size of Madagascar, measuring 1.89 million square miles (4.9 million square kilometers). The scientists revealed that there are in reality eight continents, with the most recent addition breaking all records as the world’s tiniest, thinnest, and youngest.
The new continent is 94% underwater, with only a few islands, akin to New Zealand.
“This is an example of how something very obvious can take a while to uncover”, said Andy Tulloch, a geologist at the New Zealand Crown Research Institute GNS Science who was part of the team that discovered Zealandia.
Zealandia, according to scientists, has always been tough to research. Scientists are currently investigating collections of rocks and sediment samples recovered from the ocean floor, the majority of which came from drilling sites–others came from the coasts of nearby islands.
The analysis of the rock samples revealed geologic trends in West Antarctica that suggested the potential of a subduction zone on the Campbell Plateau off New Zealand’s west coast. However, the researchers found no magnetic anomalies in that area, which contradicts predictions of a strike-slip in the Campbell Fault.
The newly revised map depicts not just the location of the Zealandia continent’s magmatic arc axis, but also other key geological features.
Zealandia was once a part of Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent that formed around 550 million years ago and effectively merged all of the territory in the southern hemisphere.
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