400 years of mystery solved: Submerged continent of Zealandia is now fully mapped

After 400 years of mystery, scientists have fully mapped Zealandia, the lost continent beneath the Pacific, unlocking its geological secrets and confirming its place in Earth's history.

Submerged continent of Zealandia after 400 years

Scientists and explorers have long wondered about a submerged landmass beneath the Pacific. The lost continent, known as Zealandia, had been an enigma for close to 400 years. However, through advanced mapping tools, scientists have mapped the vanished continent in full today, opening its geological mysteries and proving it existed in Earth's history.

The Discovery of Zealandia

Zealandia was officially established as a continent in 2017, though for centuries everyone had theorized that it existed. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman tried to prove the existence of a "Great Southern Continent" in 1642 but was thwarted when his expedition concluded without proof.

Scientists ultimately discovered that Zealandia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana but began to break away around 105 million years ago and plunged beneath the sea eventually.

What Makes Zealandia a Continent?

Unlike typical oceanic continents, Zealandia has an independent continental crust, thus a continent despite being almost entirely underwater. Only 5% of its land area, like New Zealand and New Caledonia, appears above sea level.

Geologists have charted Zealandia in its entirety, the initial submerged continent to be charted to its boundaries.

How Scientists Charted Zealandia

charting Zealandia was a sophisticated task that involved:

Deep-sea surveys to investigate the seafloor.

Rock samples to establish its continental crust.

Magnetic and seismic research to uncover its geologic history.

These explorations uncovered that Zealandia stretched, deformed, and thinned as it broke apart from Gondwana due to volcanic activity.

The Puzzle of Zealandia's Submergence

Perhaps one of the biggest questions that researchers still grapple with is how Zealandia descended. While tectonic forces and crustal thinning were proposed by some theories, there is no correct answer. It sank, carrying ancient geological material, which taught scientists about the Earth's tectonic evolution.

Finally, after 400 years of mystery, Zealandia is now fully mapped out, and it confirms there are still some secrets on our planet beneath the oceans. While scientists continue to research this hidden continent, Zealandia can potentially still discover more about tectonic movement, continental drift, and the Earth's geologic history