Scientists have found an eighth continent hidden under the waters of the Pacific Ocean
Geologists have discovered a vast area hidden beneath the sea’s surface in the South Pacific Ocean. Scientists now consider it a separate continent, stretching over almost 5 million square kilometers. The flooded continent is called Zealandia, and like New Zealand, only about 5% of its surface rises above the water.
Researchers suggest that Zealand split off from larger landmasses tens of millions of years ago. At that time, Gondwana was a huge supercontinent that included South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and parts of Asia. Parts of Gondwana began to separate due to tectonic processes, and one of these parts eventually became Zealandia.
However, the previously above-sea-level area began to sink under water. When the movement in the upper layers of the Earth continued, Zealandia gradually separated from West Antarctica—this happened about 85 million years ago. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M, For the full article. Later, it separated from Australia and became isolated.
The crust of the isolated region lost thickness and cooled, which led to the final sinking below sea level. Rock dating and the study of magnetic anomalies have shown that the underwater land has key features characteristic of other recognized continents. The samples from Zealandia contain sandstone, volcanic pebbles, and basalt lavas dating from the Early Cretaceous to the Eocene. Ancient volcanic activity helped define the boundaries of the continent.
Today, Zealandia is mostly hidden underwater, but its discovery has great scientific significance. Scientists consider Zealandia to be a valuable object for study, because it can understand how continents evolve in the face of changing tectonic plates. Many sedimentary rocks in Zealandia date back to the Late Cretaceous period, which suggests that some parts of It remained above water for a long time after separating from other continents.
