By this definition India, prior to its collision with Eurasia, would be termed a continent.’. Is Amazon actually giving you the best price? Search: Add your article Home Nature Continent Zealandia. The isolated species living here were affected dramatically around 800 years ago, when humans from Polynesia settled in New Zealand. The isolated species living here were affected dramatically around 800 years ago, when humans from Polynesia settled in New Zealand. When seen on a topographical map, or even Google Maps, the shape of the continent starts to appear. passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. Interestingly, the south and north islands of New Zealand are located on different plates, and as a result the two islands are drifting apart from each other at a rate of about 4 m (13 ft) per century. Geologists found rocks in the region that were continental-type rocks, not oceanic rocks. The concept of Zealandia isn't new. Read about physical divisions of India CLASS IX GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER 2.. Asia 44,579,000 square km. In broad terms, the Australian plate is moving north while the Pacific plate is moving west. Website design by   Membership Magazine Publishers. Explaining the larger-than-expected number of continents, he wrote: ‘Although Eurasia is still the largest continent, it does not include the separate continents India and Arabia and surrenders northeastern Siberia to North America. The entire continent juts approximately 1,000-1,500 m (3,280 - 4,900 ft) from the surrounding sea floor. That’s about the size of the Indian subcontinent. Forums > Community > Politics. Earlier this year, scientists argued that the known seven continents had a long-lost brother Zealandia, a narrow strip of land that encompasses New Zealand and lies off the east coast of Australia, and whose landmass is mostly 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) below sea level beneath the ocean's surface. The new eighth continent – Zealandia, fulfills the definition of a continent. To know this let’s first understand what is a continent? Zealandia is a mostly submerged microcontinent about 3,500,000 km 2 (1,350,000 mi 2) in extent, larger than India or Greenland and just under half the size of Australia. Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island is actually a tiny tip of the lost continent of Zealandia peeking up from the ocean © kris1138 via Getty Images NC–New Caledonia; WTP–West Torres Plateau; CT–Cato Trough; Cf, NEVER MISS A STORY - Follow Geographical on Social, Copyright © 2019 Syon Geographical Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Zealandia (/ z iː ˈ l æ n d i ə /), also known as Te Riu-a-Māui or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago. In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly Zealandia lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates, the Australian plate and the Pacific plate. Zealandia is thought to have broken apart from a much larger continent called Gondwanaland between 83 and 79 million years ago. Wikibuy Review: A Free Tool That Saves You Time and Money, 15 Creative Ways to Save Money That Actually Work. Read about physical divisions of India CLASS IX GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER 2.. It was discovered using satellite mapping. Scientists studying Zealandia say it has several of the key characteristics of a continent, including a distinctive geology, and an elevation above the surrounding sea bed. Currently used conventions and definitions of continental crust, continents and microcontinents require no modification to accommodate Zealandia.’, Like longer reads? But it would be the smallest of the world’s continents. It was discovered using satellite mapping. And at one time, it was above water. Scientists studying Zealandia say it has several of the key characteristics of a continent, including a distinctive geology, and an elevation above the surrounding sea bed. The Zealandia continent, also known as Te Riu-a-Māui, is a 5-million-square-kilometer (2-million-square-mile) continent found in the southwest Pacific. Zealandia. While scientists have known about it for decades, it's only been in recent years that Zealandia has been publicly recognised as the planet's youngest, smallest, thinnest and most submerged continent. This geological makeup is unique among continents. Zealandia is a lost continent beneath the waves of the South Pacific Ocean. Among the evidence for Zealandia: The crust that makes up Zealandia is much shallower than the surrounding oceanic crust, and its geologic makeup looks more like continental versus oceanic crust. 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