THE CEDAR GROUP

Where is Zealandia? Eighth continent discovered, underwater

A new study makes the case that a mostly submerged landmass about two-thirds the size of Australia meets all the usual criteria for a continent.

A new study published in the March/April 2017 issue of The Geological Society of America’s Journal argues that a mostly submerged landmass in the southwest Pacific should be classified as a continent, pointing to New Caledonia as well as New Zealand’s North and South Islands as the continent’s three exposed pieces. 

So you won't be able to visit unless you pack scuba gear, since 94 percent of the 1.9 million square-mile landmass, which is about two-thirds the size of Australia, lies underwater, according to the study.

No scientific body exists to certify continents. But the study’s authors write that Zealandia fits all of the other criteria used for the other seven continents: high elevation relative to the surrounding area, a broad range of the three main types of geology, well-defined limits, and a crust thicker than the ocean floor. Lead author Nick Mortimer, a geologist at New Zealand’s GNS Science research institute, says he and the other authors have been assembling their case for more than two decades.

“If we could pull the plug on the oceans, it would be clear to everybody that we have mountain chains and a big, high-standing continent,” he told New Zealand's TVNZ, according to Phys.org.