Welcome the eighth continent Zealandia, which has been discovered by the geologists in the Southwest Pacific region.
Also Read: Extinct woolly mammoth to be resurrected in 2 years by Harvard researchers
The Earth is made up of two different types of crusts are present and they are: continental and oceanic; Zealandia is made up of continental crust — comprising silica-rich rocks, it's a dense and low-velocity structure.
This continent relative to its surroundings has magnified and is 4.9 million sq. km big, which is equal to two-thirds of the size of its neighbour Australia.
Zealandia was a part of the archaic supercontinent—Gondwana and 94 per cent of the continent is immersed in water, a statement by the Geological Society of America (GSA) revealed.
This research was carried out by a cohort of 11 geologists who revealed that this continent is situated towards the east of Australia and New Zealand and New Caledonia are a part of it, hence it should be regarded as a continent, just like the Eurasian landmass, which comprises Europe and Asia, indiatimes.com reported.
"The identification of Zealandia as a geological continent, rather than a collection of continental islands, fragments, and slices, more correctly represents the geology of this part of Earth," The GSA stated
"Zealandia provides a fresh context in which to investigate processes of continental rifting, thinning, and breakup," GSA added.
The Earth comprises 14 major tectonic plates and over the last five decades, a lot of advancement has been observed which aided in analysing these plates better. The geologists could measure the aspects of the tectonic plates at different scales, understood about the continent-ocean boundaries and continental rifting better. It also helped them in unearthing numerous micro-continental fragments.
"Currently used conventions and continents, definitions of continental crust, and micro-continents require no modification to accommodate Zealandia," the geologists said.
As Zealandia has all the characteristics of a continent and its size is bigger than that of a micro-continent, the researchers insist that it should be classified as a continent, as per a report by The Telegraph.
This research has been published in the Geological Society of America.
