Could There Be A Brand New Continent Just Underneath New Zealand?
Hello there, once more! The second New Zealand-related article that I'm publishing today, this one's going to focus on the possible existence of a brand new continental mass that lies just under the soil and the southern Pacific oceanic surroundings of New Zealand in the southern hemisphere.
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. Image source: Pixabay.com
Until relatively recently, the common ground theory ascertained that there exist 7 continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antartica. Out of 7, one of them is not natively inhabited (that, evidently enough, being Antartica). However, what if I told that there could be a potential eight one lying just underneath New Zealand?
According to this BBC article, this humongous landmass found at the bottom of the southwest Pacific might well be a fresh contender to join the continents' club. According to a paper published by The Geological Society of America, this newly discovered landmass is Earth's hidden continent, measuring approximately 5 million square miles, making it two thirds of the total size of closely situated Australia.
More than 90% of this landmass is submerged, with only a couple of solid terrain above water, most notably the north and south islands of New Zealand (but also some minor smaller islands as well). Three arguments for which scientists now want to include this landmass (which they call 'Zeelandia') as constituent continental body are the following:
- The fact that it has an elevation which is above neighbouring underwater area.
- The fact that the landmass has a specific geological nature.
- The fact that the landmass is comprised within a well-defined bordered area.
In the near or distant future, whether or not Zeelandia might be included in schoolbooks still remains an intriguing question. Yet, let's remember that a lot of scientific discoveries have been challenged in the past and that, while we we were brought up to think that Pluto is a planet of its own, contemporary science dismissed this theory. The conclusion: only time will tell.
Below you can watch a short video presentation on the history of Zeelandia by Auckland Museum: