Zealandia: Submerged eighth continent 'accurately' mapped by scientists, see pictures

Reaching a significant milestone to quest that began in 2017, scientists have w mapped submerged landmass of eighth continent deep beneath Pacific Ocean. New Zealand “sits on” five million square kilometres Zealandia that was first spotted years ago. But researchers at GNS Science in New Zealand have developed two maps only recently that give insights into “amazing forces” that shaped continent. Calling m a “scientific benchmark”, le author of tectonic & bathymetric maps, Dr Nick Mortimer has also said that y are “accurate” and “complete”. 

Mortimer, “We’ve me se maps to provide an accurate, complete and up-to-date picture of geology of New Zealand and southwest Pacific area - better than we have h before. ir value is that y provide a fresh context in which to explain and understand setting of New Zealand’s volcaes, plate boundary and sedimentary basins.”

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94% of Zealandia is submerged

According to reports, at least 94 per cent of Zealandia’s two million square miles are underwater. refore, mapping of entire continent was a challenge for researchers across world. scientists at GNS have contributed to global effort of researchers to map entire ocean floor of world by 2030 including depiction of coastlines and territorial limits. 

Mortimer told and international media outlet that maps have offered more evidence of fact that Zealandia was a separate continent and t a “microcontinent” which was its classification before 2017. At least three years ago, le author of two maps developed of submerged eighth continent h told a separate media outlet that if scientists could ‘pull plug’ on oceans across globe, it would reveal that Zealandia ‘stands out’.

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Tectonic Map

While explaining tectonic map, researchers wrote, “This highlights 5 million sq km Te Riu-a-Māui / Zealanda continent, a small part of which is on land, but most of which is under sea. colours show continental crust in red, orange, yellow and brown hues and oceanic crust in blues. Island arc crust is pink and large igneous province crust is green. (A large igneous province is a large accumulation of igneous rocks resulting from magma travelling through crust towards surface).”

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Bathymetric map

While explaining bathymetric map, researchers said, “This map uses GEBCO 2019 grid, first output of Seabed2030 project which is a global initiative to map ocean floor of entire world by 2030. project is a collaboration between Nippon Foundation in Japan and General Bathymetric Chart of Oceans (GEBCO). NIWA, GNS Science and Land Information New Zealand are jointly leing South and West Pacific Ocean Regional Data Assembly and Coordination Centre, based in Wellington.”

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