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Zealandia is 5 million square kilometers and lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. New Zealand and New Caledonia are located within it.
Earth It is an amazing and constantly evolving planet, whose Geography And Geology They have been the subject of study for centuries. To date, the scientific community has officially recognized seven Continents: Africa, America, Oceania, Antarctica, Asia, Europe and Antarctica. However, scientists are always cautious that some geographic variation may occur.
In this framework, geologists have completely mapped the underwater landscape Zeelandiaconsidered A candidate to be Earth's eighth continent.
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Geological Society of America
What is Zealandia?: A possible new sunken continent
About 23 million years ago, ZeelandiaA drowned 95% After separation from the continent, under the waters of the ocean Gondwana 60 million years ago. What is today? New Zealand, New Caledonia and their islands, Parts only Zeelandia are seen as On the surface of the oceanMost of this continent was submerged Under water.
And, it was confirmed Zeelandia Various houses Fauna and Flora In the past, thanks for the testimonials Remains of land plants and marine organisms Shallow, hidden beneath the sea. According to researchers, 80 to 100 million years ago, there was something remarkable Thinning of the lining This culminated in the submergence of the continent, probably due to its heterogeneous extension.
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What was discovered?
The study was carried out by New Zealand GNS Instituteand led by Nick MortimerThey extracted the samples Sandstone, limestone and basaltic lava Submarine expansion from different geologic eras Zeelandia. They found sandstones about 95 million years old, granite and volcanic pebbles about 130 million years old, and fresh basalts about 40 million years old.
Which is considered a continent?
A continent It is the surface of solid land that is part of the Earth's crust that rises above sea level. They constitute 34% of the total land area and usually contains a core of very old rocks.
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The Continents are the result of a geological process that takes millions of years. Although it is difficult to trace the origin of continents, it is estimated that a supercontinent existed 200 million years ago. Pangea.
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