As more research emerges, the interactive website and maps will be updated to reflect what we know, said GNS Science. The idea of a potential continent in this area has been around for some time, and the name "Zealandia" was first coined by geophysicist Bruce Luyendyk in 1995. It has variously been described as a submerged continent, a continental fragment, a microcontinent, and a continent. Today, 94 per cent of Zealandia lies underwater – if we drained the oceans, we could see it unfurling some 4.9 million sq km across the South Pacific. Jessie Yeung. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. During glacial periods, sea levels fell, and more of Zealandia was above water. New maps released on June 21 show new details of Zealandia's geology and topography. Brandon Specktor - Senior Writer Abut 94% of Zealandia is now submerged underwater -- but some parts of the continent are still above land, making up New Zealand and other small islands. Please refresh the page and try again. Zealandia made global headlines earlier this year when scientists announced that it counts as a new continent. Zealandia: Unprecedented Maps of Earth’s 8th Sunken Continent Reveal a Never-Before-Seen World Earth has eight continents, and you probably never heard about the 8th. The dedicated study of this area, stretching about 5 million square kilometers (about 1.93 million square miles), has since determined it is not just a group of continental islands and fragments, but a continental crust large and separate enough to be officially declared a separate continent. By Still, the "lost continent" remains largely unknown and poorly studied due to its Atlantean geography. They're a way of communicating our work to our colleagues, stakeholders, educators and the public," said geologist Dr. Nick Mortimer, the lead author of the maps, in the release. The motions of the plates that caused Zealandia to sink continue to shape the underwater geology of the region into sunken regions called grabens and basins. Photograph by Lora Johnson, My Shot. 2020-02-06T19:02:28Z tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/130860 2020-02-06T19:02:28Z 2020-02-06T19:02:28Z Zealandia is a submerged continent buried deep beneath the waves of the Pacific. Zealandia's total area has been mapped to be nearly 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers). GNS Science, a New Zealand research institute, published two new maps and an interactive website on Monday. SS Zealandia, nicknamed "Z" (or "Zed"), was an historically significant Australian cargo and passenger steamship. Scientists discovered the sprawling underwater mass in the 1990s, then gave it formal continent status in 2017. image caption Mount Cook, the highest peak of New Zealand - and Zealandia You think you know your seven continents? There was a problem. © Zealandia's submerged fossils provide valuable clues to life during those time periods. Zealandia is spread over an area of five million square kilometers and a small part of the continent is on land, with the rest under the sea. 94% of it is sunken beneath the Pacific Ocean, and the six 6% of the continent … People around the world can explore the continent from their own homes; the interactive website shows different types of maps of Zealandia, which users can layer and toggle as they like. NY 10036. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Scientists say they have identified an underwater continent two-thirds the size of Australia — and they are calling it Zealandia. ", The new maps reveal Zealandia's bathymetry (the shape of the ocean floor) as well as its tectonic history, showing how volcanism and tectonic motion have shaped the continent over millions of years. A map including the hidden continent, Zealandia. "We've made these maps to provide an accurate, complete and up-to-date picture of the geology of the New Zealand and southwest Pacific area -- better than we have had before.". The drifting, shifting land mass, about half the size of Australia, was home to dinosaurs and lush rainforest. Zealandia — or Te Riu-a-Māui, as it's referred to in the indigenous Māori language — is a 2 million-square-mile (5 million square kilometers) continent east of Australia, beneath modern-day New Zealand. Zealandia (/ z iː ˈ l æ n d i ə /), also known as Te Riu-a-Māui or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago. The landmass matches all of the important criteria for being recognised as a continent https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/australia/zealandia-maps-intl-hnk-scli-scn Image supplied by John Beck, JOIDES Resolution Science Operator, Texas A&M University. These are the highest points of what was once a much larger expanse of land.As a result, Zealandia wasn’t so much discovered as recognized. Zealandia transported the Australian 8th Division.Her crew were the last Allied personnel to see HMAS Sydney, which was lost with all hands in 1941. A map showing the topography of Zealandia. About 85 million years ago, Zealandia split off from Gondwana. 7 ways the Earth changes in the blink of an eye, 10 most hazardous countries for volcanoes, 10 ways Earth revealed its weirdness in 2019, 'Magic mushrooms' grow in man's blood after injection with shroom tea. A bathymetric map of the lost continent of Zealandia. Visit our corporate site. At this measure, Zealandia is about half the size of Australia, however, only 6% of the continent is above sea level. Both World War II around 864 meters beneath the seabed the bathymetric map of the ocean 2020-02-06T19:02:28Z tag::. 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