Newly-uncovered landmass, vanished 375 years ago, rediscovered by researchers.
In 2017, geologists made an astonishing discovery that had been hiding in plain sight for centuries - the nearly submerged continent of Zealandia. This vast landmass, known as Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language, was first mentioned in 1642 by Dutch businessman and sailor Abel Tasman, although he failed to discover it during his voyage.
Abel Tasman, however, did encounter the local Māori and learned about a large landmass to the east. His encounter provided valuable information about the surrounding land, even though he was unable to find the "Great Southern Continent" he had been seeking.
Zealandia was once part of the supercontinent called Gondwana, which existed over 500 million years ago. The process of Zealandia being pulled away from Gondwana is not fully understood yet, but scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery.
Nick Mortimer, who led a study on Zealandia, joked that it was "kind of cool" to have only three territories on the continent - New Zealand, New Caledonia, and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica. Most of the continent, in fact, remains underwater.
The discovery of Zealandia as a distinct continent was first made by a team of geologists led by Bruce Luyendyk in the 1990s. However, its recognition as a separate continent gained wide scientific acceptance after a 2017 study published by a team including Nick Mortimer, Hamish Campbell, and others.
The existence of Zealandia has been a subject of historical speculation, with some theories suggesting it could be the lost continent of Lemuria or the fabled "Great Southern Continent." Today, Zealandia spans approximately 1.89 million square miles, making it the eighth largest continent in the world.
Join our free WhatsApp channel and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on the latest news about Zealandia and other fascinating discoveries. This article was originally published on 18 October 2023 by the indy100.
