Map of 'Lost' Continent Zealandia That Disappeared 23 Million Years Ago Ultimately Revealed!

Researchers are mapping the strange "lost" continent of Zealandia for the first time. The huge landmass in the South Pacific vanished 23 million years ago under the waves - and has never been investigated. It was initially part of the huge Gondwana (supercontinent), which was created by continents that are present in the southern hemisphere.

The Unknown Continent  

Zealandia is six times bigger than Madagascar, enclosing 1.9 million square miles, the next-biggest continental grain. It stretches from west to the Kenn Plateau off Australia's east coast, and from the south of New Zealand northward to New Caledonia. Around 94 percent of the landmass is beneath the water

The unknown continent is currently being partly mapped thanks to a deepwater mapping mission overseen by The University of Queensland. Chief researcher Dr. Derya Gürer used 28 days at sea on Schmidt Ocean Institute's studye vessel Falkor, examining the north-western verge of the continent.

"We're merely just beginning to uncover Zealandia's secrets," Dr. Derya explained.
"It's stayed a secret in clear sight until now and is notoriously impossible to research."

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Bathymetric Map 

Radar scans conducted by the group examined the contours of the slim relationship between the Coral Seas and Tasman in the Cato Trough area - the tiny corridor between Zealandia and Australia. In all, they have offered 14,00 square miles of topographical evidence to the Seabed 2030 program.

The program intends to create a publicly accessible bathymetric map to assess the depth of the planet's ocean ground depth by 2030. The sea ground is full of indications for comprehending the complicated geologic history of both the Zealandia and Australian continental scales, Dr. Derya explained.

This data will also enhance our knowledge of the complicated design of the crust between the Zealandia and Australian scales. It's believed to involve some little continental piece, or microcontinents, that were shattered from Australia, and before in the supercontinent Gondwana. 

The Supercontinent 

Between 85 and 79 million years ago Zealandia is assumed to have left Gondwana. The supercontinent comprised what is present-day Australia, Zealandia, South America, Indian subcontinent, Antarctica, Arabia, and Africa, It's believed that Zealandia was virtually fully flooded in water, around a 23million years ago.

Specialists used up to 20 years of gathering data to bring about the case for the flooded landmass being a continent. Their actions were hindered because most of them are invisible under the waves. Zealandia was given continent status in 2017 followed by a paper that was  released in the GSA Today Journal.

Hidden Mountains Under the Earth's Crust  

In it, scientists victoriously insisted that the landmass was a different geological being that fulfilled all the standards applied to the world's other continents. Those involved elevation over the surrounding region, distinct geology, an adequately-defined region, and a crust more firm than that discovered on the ocean ground.

In other reports, the history of a lost continent concealed for 100 million years under Europe has been uncovered for the first time. secret mountains under the Earth's crust buried 400 miles could be bigger than Everest.  And, there's an unknown stash of over a quadrillion tons of diamonds concealed under the Earth's surface. 

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