Jakarta –
To this point we all know that there are seven continents on this planet, particularly Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Nonetheless, in 2017 a brand new continent was recognized that was beforehand misplaced and is now underneath the ocean. What are the continents and the way are they formed?
That continent is Zealandia or one thing known as Te Riu-a-Māui in Māori. This continent was first found underneath the ocean within the southwest Pacific Ocean.
First, Zealandia was first found by scientists within the Nineties. At the moment, the area of Zealandia had not but been named a brand new continent. Solely in 2017, after gathering some proof, scientists stated that New Zealand was a brand new continent that disappeared tens of thousands and thousands of years in the past.
Zealandia is thought to cowl an space of greater than 5 million sq. kilometers, as said in a examine printed within the journal Tectonics.
The continent of Zealand disappeared 25 million years in the past
Researchers say 95 p.c of Zealandia is underwater underneath the southwest Pacific Ocean. It’s identified that this continent disappeared lengthy earlier than there have been folks on earth.
Acquire BBC, Zealandia is believed to have shaped about 83 million years in the past, in the course of the late Cretaceous interval. Initially, this continent was shaped as a part of the Gondwana supercontinent that broke up about 100 million years in the past.
The area of Gondwana itself was as soon as positioned barely northwest and southwest of Australia and Antarctica respectively.
It’s thought that every one or a part of Zealand might have existed as an island for a while. However, then about 25 million years in the past, New Zealand disappeared underneath the ocean.
Geological Map of New Zealand
To map Zealand, a workforce of geologists from around the globe succeeded in compiling a brand new geological map. The map was created utilizing a mixture of rock samples taken from the ocean and geophysical mapping strategies.
Geologists discovered giant formations of sandstone and gravel deposits of basaltic rock, following the outer limits of New Zealand as they looked for samples.
The sandstone is believed to be round 95 million years outdated and accommodates older volcanic granite and gravel. This means that when New Zealand was a dry land, rivers flowing from volcanic plateaus crammed tectonic basins.
The plateau was a collection of energetic volcanoes at the very least 30 to 50 million years in the past. Nonetheless, specialists imagine that it was extra probably eroded when the sandstone was deposited.
Geographers imagine that Zealandia was regularly flooded about 40 million years in the past, as a result of discovery of basalt gravel, which is related to underwater volcanism.
The researchers additionally analyzed its chemical content material and radioactive isotopes and had been in a position to estimate the age and origin of the rock. The oldest materials is gravel from the Early Cretaceous (about 130-110 million years outdated), adopted by sandstone from the Late Cretaceous (about 95 million years outdated) and comparatively basalt younger from the Eocene (about 40 million years outdated).
The outcomes of the mapping of Zealandia, in accordance with the researchers, present a change from a featureless mass to a spot with many distinct geological paths stretching throughout the area from the north-west to the south-east.
This matches the geology of West Antarctica like a puzzle, proving that this area and New Zealand had been as soon as united.
In the meantime, the following part of analysis is required to see measurements of magnetic anomalies on the ocean flooring round New Zealand. Nonetheless, since most of this secret land has been submerged for miles, it is going to take a very long time to search out every thing.
Watch video”The Authorities will launch the One Map Coverage Geoportal subsequent week“
(part/gasoline)
2024-07-22 12:30:00
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