We have read many times about the continents present on Earth in many books of geography or general knowledge, stating that there are a total of seven continents in the world, including Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. But do you know that apart from these there is another continent on the earth? The name of this continent is "Zealandia", also known as the Earth’s Hidden Continent. Most of this continent is submerged under the southwest Pacific Ocean and that too at a depth of about 3800 feet. 94% part of this continent is submerged in the ocean and only a few subcontinents and mountains are seen above water. To be a continent, it is necessary that the most part of the land must be above the sea, but researchers are looking at it from a different perspective. Scientists are still trying to uncover the secrets of this hidden continent.
According to scientists, Zealandia was once part of the huge Gondwana supercontinent and was separated from it about 83-79 million years ago. However, a small part of it managed to avoid drowning, which is known today as New Zealand. Researchers also made a map of this new continent a few years ago. According to the experts, the area of this lost continent would have been around 50 lakh square kilometers, which is 17 lakh square kilometers larger than the area of India. India's area is 32.87 lakh square kilometers and scientists say that Zeelandia had broken from the supercontinent Gondwanaland 79 million years ago. Scientists have been doing research on this new and hidden continent since 1995 and finally, their discovery was completed in 2017. According to them, this continent fulfills all the criteria applicable to other continents of the earth. For this reason, it would not be wrong to consider it the eighth continent. Researchers believe that Zealandia has its own geology and its surface is thicker and solid than the seafloor. The research for Zealandia will not only give the Earth a new continent, but it will also help researchers to find out how the continental crust was broken. Scientists believe that all the continents on Earth were ever connected with each other, which broke apart over time. However, many mysteries related to this continent are still unresolved, such as how it was formed and then how it broke down, there is continuous research on it.
According to scientists, Zealandia was once part of the huge Gondwana supercontinent and was separated from it about 83-79 million years ago. However, a small part of it managed to avoid drowning, which is known today as New Zealand. Researchers also made a map of this new continent a few years ago. According to the experts, the area of this lost continent would have been around 50 lakh square kilometers, which is 17 lakh square kilometers larger than the area of India. India's area is 32.87 lakh square kilometers and scientists say that Zeelandia had broken from the supercontinent Gondwanaland 79 million years ago. Scientists have been doing research on this new and hidden continent since 1995 and finally, their discovery was completed in 2017. According to them, this continent fulfills all the criteria applicable to other continents of the earth. For this reason, it would not be wrong to consider it the eighth continent. Researchers believe that Zealandia has its own geology and its surface is thicker and solid than the seafloor. The research for Zealandia will not only give the Earth a new continent, but it will also help researchers to find out how the continental crust was broken. Scientists believe that all the continents on Earth were ever connected with each other, which broke apart over time. However, many mysteries related to this continent are still unresolved, such as how it was formed and then how it broke down, there is continuous research on it.
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