Let us gather some interesting information about Zealandia—the Earth's hidden eighth continent, submerged under the Pacific Ocean. Explore more about its age, discovery, and mapping—and unravel some of its primordial secrets.
We grew up learning about the Earth’s seven continents: Australia, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Africa. However, the latest discovery has uncovered an eighth lost continent—Zealandia.
Beneath the Pacific Ocean rests the hidden treasure. While all the other seven continents proudly exhibit their valleys and peaks above the water level—the eighth lost continent remains shrouded in mystery under the water, waiting to be navigated and understood. Let us learn some mind-boggling facts about this submerged landmass.
The nearly submerged continent of Zealandia lies in Oceania, under the Pacific Ocean. Being the largest microcontinent in the world—Zealandia enjoys an aggregate area of 4,900,000 km². Only 7 per cent of the continent lies above the water surface—New Caledonia and New Zealand being the largest land masses.
In the Maori language, Zealandia is called Tasmantis or Te Riu-a-Māui. The name and concept of the lost continent were introduced by Bruce Luyendyk—an American geologist, in 1995.
In 2017, a team comprising eleven geologists from New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand deduced that the submerged eighth continent fulfils all the prerequisites to be regarded as a drowned continent and not a continental fragment or microcontinent.
It is believed that Zealandia had broken and drifted away from Gondwana, the supercontinent— roughly 83-76 million years ago. The geological history of the landmass entails a captivating journey of detachment and submersion beneath the ocean’s surface.
Approximately 23 million years ago, the land mass of Zealandia may have submerged, and 93 per cent of it remains immersed beneath the Pacific Ocean. With an aggregate area of 4,920,000 km, it is greater than half the size of the continent of Australia.
Zealandia is made of two almost parallel ridges, segregated by a failed rift. At the spot where the split of the rift breakup stops, a filled graben was created. The ridges sloped upwards, above the sea floor, almost to heights of 3,300 to 4,900 ft—with some rocky islands standing above sea level.
Initially, it was deduced by researchers that Zealnadia is 550 million years old. However, based on a study conducted in 2021, the lost continent’s age was revised, and now experts suggest that the land mass could be nearly 1 billion years old. This revised comprehension augments the geological complexity of the submerged continent of Zealandia.
Zealandia enjoys a temperate climate, and it is the largest island that accommodates numerous glaciers. On the South Island of New Zealand lies the Tasman Glacier—the largest identified glacier to exist in the region.
The submerged continent is volcanically active, specifically in the northern region. Volcanism on the continental fragment has occurred repeatedly in multiple parts—during, before and after it drifted apart—from Gondwana, the supercontinent. Within Zealandia six areas constitute active volcanoes—the Taupo Volcanic Zone, located in the North Island of New Zealand—is the most remarkable and also the largest.
Zealandia’s discovery has unlocked new opportunities for scientific exploration—offering new information about our planet’s geological evolution and enabling evaluation of the complex interaction of water and land over millions of years.
Nearly 25 million years ago, Zealandia’s southern part (resting on the Pacific Plate) started drifting apart—as compared to the northern part (resting on the Indo-Australian Plate). The consequent displacement of roughly 500 km—adjacent to the Alpine Fault can be noticed in the geological maps.
While countless questions about the geological history and evolution of Zealandia remain answered, the successful navigation of the entire map of the lost continent marks a remarkable milestone. The data collected by the geologists will help improve our understanding of our planet’s dynamic past—and further reveal the evolution of the animal and plant life of the submerged continent.
