Geoscientists Create New Map of Earth’s 8th ‘Continent’ Zealandia

Geoscientists have made a groundbreaking discovery after nearly four centuries of exploration. Zealandia, also known as Te Riu-a-Maui, has been identified as Earth’s eighth continent. This revelation comes from a team of geologists and seismologists who meticulously analyzed data from dredged rock samples collected from the ocean floor. Their findings have been published in the journal Tectonics.

According to a report by BBC, Zealandia spans an impressive 1.89 million square miles (4.9 million square kilometres), making it about six times the size of Madagascar. It’s noteworthy for being the smallest, thinnest, and youngest of the world’s eight continents. Remarkably, this continent is submerged, with a staggering 94% of its landmass lying beneath the ocean’s surface, resembling the topography of New Zealand’s islands.

Andy Tulloch, a geologist from New Zealand’s GNS Science, emphasized the unexpected nature of this discovery, stating, “This is an example of how something very obvious can take a while to uncover.” Zealandia has been a challenging subject for scientific study due to its submerged nature.

Scientists are delving into collections of rocks and sediment samples retrieved from the ocean floor, primarily obtained through drilling operations. Some samples were also procured from islands in the vicinity. The analysis of these rock samples unveiled intriguing geological patterns near the Campbell Plateau off New Zealand’s west coast, hinting at the presence of a subduction zone in West Antarctica. However, magnetic anomalies were notably absent in this region, contradicting previous theories about the Campbell Fault’s nature.

The newly refined map of Zealandia not only pinpoints the continent’s magmatic arc axis but also highlights other significant geological features. Zealandia’s origins trace back to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, which formed around 550 million years ago and once united all the landmasses in the southern hemisphere.