New land found after 375 years-edited by Aishee Biswas

After centuries of speculation and exploration, the existence of a long-suspected continent called Zealandia has finally been confirmed by scientists. This continent, with an area of around 1.89 million square miles, was once part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, along with Western Antarctica and Eastern Australia, over 500 million years ago. Zealandia started to separate from Gondwana approximately 105 million years ago, sinking beneath the waves over time, with over 94% of its landmass remaining underwater for thousands of years.

 

Dutch sailor Abel Tasman first recorded the existence of Zealandia in 1642  while on a mission to find the "great Southern Continent" or Terra Australis. Tasman did not find this new land but encountered the Māori when he landed on the Southern Island of New Zealand, who provided him with valuable information about the surrounding landmass, including a large landmass to the east. Despite this, it took almost 400 years for scientists to agree on the existence of Zealandia.

 

Departing from Jakarta, Indonesia, Tasman eventually arrived at the Southern Island of New Zealand to commence his exploration. However, he encountered the local Māori before he could step on the ground, as they were not pleased with the European sailor's presence. The Māori went so far as to ram other canoes trying to approach the mainland and those carrying messages to the main ship, displaying their frustration. After failing to discover the new land, Tasman returned home to Jakarta and never looked back. Ironically, it was during this voyage that the first records of information about the enigmatic eighth continent were made.

It has been revealed by the geologists that the continent, spanning approximately 1.89 million square miles, was largely submerged and had gone unnoticed for a long time. However, roughly 105 million years ago Zealandia began to ‘pull away’ from the supercontinent for reasons geologists still don’t fully understand. As Zealandia did this, it began to sink beneath the waves with over 94 percent remaining underwater for millennia.

 Geologists are still grappling with the reasons why Zealandia started to drift away from the supercontinent roughly 105 million years ago. During the research conducted back in 2017 it was stated that it was a process which the geologists did not completely understand then. As Zealandia gradually separated from the supercontinent, it started sinking beneath the ocean, with more than 94 percent of its landmass staying submerged for thousands of years.

 

Zealandia is now recognized as the world's eighth continent, but its unique characteristics make it stand out from the other continents on the planet. Nick Mortimer, the geologist who led the study, noted that every other continent is home to multiple countries, while Zealandia has only three territories. Despite its underwater location, Zealandia is an important discovery that sheds light on the earth's geological history and the forces that shaped the planet as we know it today.

A new theory arised stating what if Zealandia never sunk ?  The answer to that question is pretty simple: if Zealandia had not sunk, it would likely still be part of Gondwana. This would mean that it would be part of the supercontinent that also included Antarctica, Africa, South America, Australia, and India. Additionally, if Zealandia had not sunk, it would have been above sea level and would have been a landmass that could have been inhabited by plants and animals. However, it is important to note that the sinking of Zealandia is a natural process that has occurred over millions of years and is a result of plate tectonics and other geological processes.