The idea about who may have mineral rights to much of what’s underneath the water is probably a moot point as well, although New Zealand may have a little more clout now. But if research picks up and commercial ventures get started, there could be a lot more control over those waters. Joel Pascagliatti is an avid outdoor enthusiast and musician. This lasted for tens of millions of years, but then some 80 million years ago (give or take) it officially split apart and became its own continental land mass, most of which was for a time, above sea level. Because of its location on two distinct tectonic plates (The Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate), Zealandia has a certain amount of volcanic activity both above and below sea level. Though due to a warming trend in climate change its technically sinking. Scientists began looking into what was beneath the waters around New Zealand a few decades ago. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. When looking at the map, that adds the area of Zealandia with clear boundaries, it appears that as a result of previous studies, geologists have already begun labeling and classifying different geographic regions of the continent. While an entire continent will not rise out of the ocean as a result of an earthquake, it is very interesting to see how much of an impact an earthquake can have on landmasses. He didn’t quite intend to name an entire continent, but rather reference the larger region of islands and land around New Zealand. Today, 93% of it is under water, with only New Zealand and New Caledonia visible above the … Over 94 percent of it is submerged in the southwest Pacific Ocean, with just the islands of New Zealand and New Caledonia visible above sea level. “The scientific information we can gain from these sites has the potential to rewrite Australian history,” Dr Benjamin said. Sinking islands call for NZ action - NZ Herald New Zealand Herald While the vast majority of Zealandia is still (and likely will continue to be) under water, it’s an interesting notion that perhaps new islands and an extension of existing islands is entirely possible. Mountain ranges are rising the fastest, in excess of 5 millimetres per year. The geology of New Zealand is noted for its volcanic activity, earthquakes and geothermal areas because of its position on the boundary of the Australian Plate and Pacific Plates.New Zealand is part of Zealandia, a microcontinent nearly half the size of Australia that broke away from the Gondwanan supercontinent about 83 million years ago. ZEALANDIA is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. There are in fact, four different requirements to classify a land mass as a continent. Congratulations Zealandia, you’ve made it to the show! Fiji. Remember that Zealandia is both volcanically and seismically active, meaning that if mother nature wants to start making noise, it could get loud! In fact, the closest thing we could come to an official designation is a revision of maps and globes from the companies that make them! Well, maybe not! While it takes a very long time to sink or even uplift an entire continent, surprisingly, earthquake activity can accomplish some pretty amazing results! In February, scientists announced that there is an eighth continent submerged beneath the ocean, and its name is Zealandia. While Zealandia lost out on most of its land above sea level, it will not be regarded as the least populous continent on the planet. The United Nations (while interested in global science) doesn’t actually have jurisdictional authority over land classification. In November, 2016, a rather large seismic event registering at a magnitude of 7.6 occurred on New Zealand. Zealandia – pieces finally falling together for continent we didn't know we had This article is more than 3 years old. The only catch? They were slipping past each other a few millimeters at a time each year, and that action slowly pulled Zealandia away from Antarctica and Australia, beginning some 85 million years ago. But it turns out that the discovery that Zealandia is actually a continent of its own opens up a whole new area of exploration about our planet. These are the highest points of what was once a much larger expanse of land.As a result, Zealandia wasn’t so much discovered as recognized. The land area of New Zealand is the relatively small part of the continent of Te Riu-a-Māui/Zealandia that is rising due to plate (tectonic) movement, or being built up by aggradation. A bit of the continent is above sea level, including New Zealand and New Caledonia. A landmass called Zealandia (gray region) deserves to join the ranks of continents, some geologists now propose. Zealandia , also known as Te Riu-a-Māui (Māori) or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago. Zealandia is occasionally divided by scientists into two regions, North Zealandia (or Western Province) and South Zealandia (or Eastern Province), … For a period of time, Zealandia was officially part of the Australian continent. Over 200 million years ago, there was a massive super-continent on earth that is known as Gondwana. Before this, it had been a part of Antarctica, but we all know that the continents have had a long and complicated history since the beginning of the planet. It will be a much larger area than appears now. 4 Followers. Most of Zealandia lies underwater. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a rising continent. Do you care about your family, community and the way NZ is going? Zealandia is a submerged continent buried deep beneath the waves of the Pacific. Studying this continental crust is important as scientists try to learn more about the way our continents were originally formed and what they might do in the future. This began to open 83 million years ago and persisted for about 30 million years until rifting ceased about 53 million years ago. This is evident as New Zealand has seen itself rising out of the water. While the designation of Zealandia as a separate continent is mostly a scientific fascination, no one is disputing how great of an economic impact such a distinction could create. It also helps in the discovery of other underwater continental land as mentioned before in the Indian Ocean. Surprisingly, there is no clear definition of what makes a continent except some geographical requirements, which has led to several conflicted opinions for instance the case of Eurasia, where many geologists think Asia and Europe are one entity as it is a single rigid megablock. Don’t waste your time watching for the rise, or you’ll be waiting a while. Geolologists say that if Earth's solid surface had first been mapped like how Mars and Venus are mapped now, Zealandia would have been investigated and identified as one of Earth's continents. There are two known submerged continents, the Kerguelen Plateau and Zealandia. Most recently, due to satellite technology and gravity mapping of the floor of the sea has confirmed all four of the requirements to declare a land mass a continent. Nick Mortimer/GNS Science. Islands are connected to the planets crust. The New Zealand government has not officially responded to the recognition of Zealandia. The science about what living things once roamed this continent over a hundred million years ago is very fascinating. The identification of this land mass as a continent under the water has some economic impact as well. Certainly, there won’t be the same level of naming as in areas that are a little more accessible on the planet, but with more discovery will come more interesting pictures of what may be awaiting us under the water. To be clear, the underwater land is not a recent find. While the research on this area is not as far along as Zealandia, it is still a fascinating new development. It has variously been described as a submerged continent, a continental fragment, a microcontinent, and a continent. There’s not a whole lot of competition out in that part of the world. It was originally part of Antarctica (along with Australia) but broke apart, later breaking off from Australia as well. The Continent of ZEALANDIA. This is evident as New Zealand has seen itself rising out of the water. Zealandia is largely made up of two nearly parallel ridges, separated by a failed rift, where the rift breakup of the continent stops and becomes a filled graben. It first has to become a popular topic in the world of geography and universally agreed upon by scientists. While scientists didn’t quite know or understand what they were dealing with (more on this later), one individual determined that giving it a name would be an important start. This map shows the estimated or measured uplift rates in different parts of the country. 22 Nov, 2016 12:45 PM 3 minutes to read Parts of New Zealand are sinking at faster rates than others and rising faster, a scientist says. The area hasn’t always been seen definitively as a continent. So the South island or more correctly the southern alps are rising, however I dont know about the north island. IBTimes UK tells you all you need to know about the long lost continent. The rising levels of the sea are thought to have caused the sinking of the submerged lands. Central and Southern Zealandia include Chatham Rise and the Campbell Plateau. While there is no formal recognition of the same by the New Zealand government, which is the major habitable administration on Zealandia; there is, however, wide interest in the media about the continent. All the tectonic activity is what led Zealandia to sink in the first place millions of years ago. There’s a lot of cool information uncovered about this hidden continent with some absolutely outrageous facts that you can be sure to add to your dinner table conversation! The total area is estimated to be approximately 4,920,000 square km of which 93% remains submerged below the Pacific Ocean. In broad terms, the Australian plate is moving north while the Pacific plate is moving west. The continent is largely made up of two parallel ridges, separated by a failed rift. The story’s headline, “Tuvalu Toodle-oo,” drew on the expectation that Tuvalu would soon sink beneath the rising seas of global warming. Sure, a lot of things are possible, but oceanic boundaries were established many years ago and it wouldn’t seem that this will have any major impact upon those boundaries. But somewhere around 200 million years ago, it started the slow process of breaking apart. We’ll see what comes next, but it could take some time. Geologists have, over the years, identified seven continents in all -- Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica. Facing rising sea levels, 'sinking' Pacific nation is getting bigger: Study . Photograph by Lora Johnson, My Shot. Zealandia lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates, the Australian plate and the Pacific plate. It’s nice to see that there are already some names to go with different regions of the underwater land mass. In just a few seconds, an underwater reef was thrown about 20 feet above sea level! In terms of size, it is the world's largest current micro-continent, about half the size of the Australian continent.. The name and concept for Zealandia was proposed by Bruce Luyendyk in 1995. Zealandia has recently been given the status of a continent by several geologists who say that the long lost continent is submerged under water. A smart idea that seems to have stuck Dr. Luyendyk! Nothing advances science like good old fashioned capitalism and when dollar signs start appearing, things start to move faster. While Zealandia has been studied for many years, it hasn’t been until now that anyone considered that it is actually its own continent. The geographical bodies on earth are not governed by any one country or group of countries. And it’s not uninhabited.That’s because roughly six percent of the landmass’s nearly two million square miles are still above sea level as New Zealand and its outlying islands. The sea level has risen 130 metres during that time, shrinking the country’s land mass by two million square kilometres and handing it to the sea. They found evidence of land-based fossils, revealing that the ancient landmass wasn't always buried beneath the waves. It is located on the southwest Pacific Ocean mostly surrounding, in what is the current land mass of New Zealand and its adjoining islands. Zealandia didn’t just get discovered last week. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Zealandia doesn't need any more stamps of approval to officially be designated a continent. The question of what this means politically is very uncertain. This ensures that no island will sink, ever. Certainly, scientists are trying to learn all they can about Zealandia, especially now that they know that once upon a time, it was above sea level. Among these, it must include the presence of different types of rock as well as a higher elevation compared to the crust of the earth. It’s not quite as simple as popping a Tums or taking some Imodium though. So to make Zealandia an official continent is not quite as simple as filing paperwork in a government office. It’s the plate tectonics and their activity that caused the sinking, and are now uplifting the continent. This fragment, called Zealandia, was about half the size of Australia. Because of its location on two different tectonic plates, there was a lot of seismic activity that caused the land to sink beneath sea level. Initially it as all land, but it slowly sank as the Tasman Sea grew, and it continued to be stretched and thinned until about 23 … According to geo-political arrangements parts of Zealandia, mainly New Zealand is grouped under Oceania -- the region encompassing the Australian continent, New Zealand and various islands in the Pacific Ocean that are not included in the seven-continent model. If the whole continent were to suddenly rise out of the ocean, what is currently New Zealand would be the highest elevations! Pekar explains that Zealandia sunk in the time of the dinosaurs, "but then for some reason it started rising about 50 million years ago. Some of these are named because of islands (or what we used to think were islands) above sea level. Dubbed “Zealandia,” the landmass that lies east of Australia covers 1.9 million mi 2 (4.9 million km 2), or an area larger than the Indian subcontinent. The Kerguelen Plateau. But scientists believe that it sunk beneath the water approximately 100 million years ago! Exclusively Zealandia The microcontinent of Zealandia helps determine New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone, or the offshore area around a country. He loves to write about pop culture, including interesting perspectives on every day subjects. But the question of who has what claim to what natural resources is still very much unanswered. Given that the entire continent has sunk beneath the water with so much seismic activity for millions of years and it has not broken apart opens the door to lots of new research. But finally after decades of study, Zealandia gets to be its very own continent! Even today, the continental area of Zealandia is very close to Australia, but it is important to note that it is its own completely separate continent. Sinking of Zealandia, Earth's hidden continent, linked to forging of the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' Zealandia had dramatic elevation changes between 50 and 35 million years ago, then ultimately sank Researchers explored deep under Zealandia's sea floor, obtaining samples of the continent. While it was around 30 million years ago that Zealandia submerged at its peak, it has since begun the uplift process. The earth is still largely unknown to mankind. The more tectonic activity, the more likely for volcanic activity, though there has not been a major devastation upon the continent in modern history however. A tiny Pacific island state that is being submerged by rising oceans will tell New Zealand that it is not disposable. Islands aren’t actually floating. Researchers have discovered that New Zealand is not an island but a continent. It did take tens of millions of years to sink in the first place. Antarctica is still mostly uninhabitable and is the least populated continent on earth. It’s doubtful that the discovery of this land mass as a continent will change a whole lot of things, except maps and globes. While Zealandia has been studied for many years, it hasn’t been until now that anyone considered that it is actually its own continent. TL:DR-No, islands can’t sink and Earthquakes have historically done anything but sink us Do you know how islands work? The scientific impact about what can still be learned about Zealandia is the most interesting part about the discovery. Areas to the North include Lord Howe Rise and Norfolk Ridge. While it was around 30 million years ago that Zealandia submerged at its peak, it has since begun the uplift process. There’s certainly a lot of study with 4.9 million kilometers of land. While it looks like two major islands, it is actually the tallest point of the Zealandia continent! But we know for a fact that there are seven continents, right? The ridges rise above the sea floor to heights of 1,000–1,500 m (3,300–4,900 ft), with few rocky islands rising above sea level. Previously, it was thought that the crust underneath the ocean in this area was fragmented into various bits. This has created a new sea floor and new aquatic life thriving in that area. Currently mt cook is rising 7mm a year though avalanche and collapse of the peak was measured to of lost 30m by the university otago. But, new satellite-based gravity maps of the ancient seafloor make it clear that the region is a continuous whole continent. Are you 35 and under? Zealandia is thought to have been submerged for at least 23 million years. Sources: Treehugger, National Geographic, The New Daily. In a paper published by the Geological Society of America, the team of scientists called the area “Earth’s hidden continent” and suggested that identifying it as such will help And then it started sinking yet again." Australia is both a continent and a country and New Zealand is also its own country. Our continents have not stopped moving and they likely never will. The only thing is that it’s almost completely underwater. One of the coolest points about this whole thing is that if you were to drain the ocean, it would turn up that New Zealand isn’t an island after all. Now, the Geological Society of America has stated that Zealandia is a geological continent in itself rather than a micro-continent or continental fragment. A nine-week voyage took scientists from around the world to drill and explore the seafloor off New Zealand and Australia. It’s the plate tectonics and their activity that caused the sinking, and are now uplifting the continent. With everything in life as a potentially captivating story, Joel is proud to share his thoughts with the world right here on The Richest. Believe it or not, we’ve only explored a tiny percentage of the oceans and only know of about ten percent of the total species that inhabit the planet. It makes you wonder how they feel about this exciting discovery. A large fragment of continental Gondwanaland was separated off by the widening gap. While it may seem strange, there is actually no governing body that determines official designations regarding what is and is not a continent on our planet. Imagine some prehistoric species roaming the countryside of Zealandia. It will continue rising until the whole New Zealandia plate is once again a continent about sea level lets say 10 million years from now. The slow separation caused Zealandia to sink, … In 2002, Outside magazine published a story about the imminent drowning of the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. 2 talking about this. In fact, all of the “islands” in the area, including New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and the Lord Howe Island Group are all the highest elevations of this exciting new continent. ... and those as apparent in the sinking or rising of that that's almost opposite same, or in the Mediterranean and the Aetna [Etna] area, then we may know it has begun.-- Edgar Cayce reading 311-8. Believe it or not, Zealandia is actually beginning the process of rising again. 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