The question of what this means politically is very uncertain. 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. Interestingly, the name stuck and has become the common name associated with what scientists are universally agreeing is a whole new continent! This length of time is nearly impossible to imagine. The United Nations (while interested in global science) doesn’t actually have jurisdictional authority over land classification. We’ll see what comes next, but it could take some time. 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. Australia is both a continent and a country and New Zealand is also its own country. 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. Believe it or not, Zealandia is actually beginning the process of rising again. These islands house just under five million people and account for about six percent of the land mass of Zealandia. Though due to a warming trend in climate change its technically sinking. 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 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. 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. 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. It is interesting to consider some of the earliest species that lived and thrived on the continent. 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. It is located on the southwest Pacific Ocean mostly surrounding, in what is the current land mass of New Zealand and its adjoining islands. 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. This is evident as New Zealand has seen itself rising out of the water. While the research on this area is not as far along as Zealandia, it is still a fascinating new development. The total area is estimated to be approximately 4,920,000 square km of which 93% remains submerged below the Pacific Ocean. 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 … In November, 2016, a rather large seismic event registering at a magnitude of 7.6 occurred on New Zealand. So it turns out that when you look at the land underwater, that is specifically identified as continental (not part of the earth’s crust) there is a lot of land! 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 This ensures that no island will sink, ever. Well, maybe not! 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. Mountain ranges are rising the fastest, in excess of 5 millimetres per year. IBTimes UK tells you all you need to know about the long lost continent. Are you 35 and under? Antarctica is still mostly uninhabitable and is the least populated continent on earth. Today, 93% of it is under water, with only New Zealand and New Caledonia visible above the … There’s certainly a lot of study with 4.9 million kilometers of land. TL:DR-No, islands can’t sink and Earthquakes have historically done anything but sink us Do you know how islands work? Only 4 percent of Zealandia rises above sea level (dark gray), including New Zealand. 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. 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. 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. At 4.9 million kilometers, Zealandia is about half the size of the United States! 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. Now, the Geological Society of America has stated that Zealandia is a geological continent in itself rather than a micro-continent or continental fragment. Previously, it was thought that the crust underneath the ocean in this area was fragmented into various bits. 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. 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. In February, scientists announced that there is an eighth continent submerged beneath the ocean, and its name is Zealandia. The name and concept for Zealandia was proposed by Bruce Luyendyk in 1995. Atoll islands such as Tuvalu are proving remarkably good at keeping their heads above water. Congratulations Zealandia, you’ve made it to the show! Over 200 million years ago, there was a massive super-continent on earth that is known as Gondwana. Islands aren’t actually floating. 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 didn’t just get discovered last week. Pekar explains that Zealandia sunk in the time of the dinosaurs, "but then for some reason it started rising about 50 million years ago. This began to open 83 million years ago and persisted for about 30 million years until rifting ceased about 53 million years ago. 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. It’s the plate tectonics and their activity that caused the sinking, and are now uplifting the continent. There are two known submerged continents, the Kerguelen Plateau and Zealandia. Joel Pascagliatti is an avid outdoor enthusiast and musician. For a period of time, Zealandia was officially part of the Australian continent. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a rising continent. 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. The identification of this land mass as a continent under the water has some economic impact as well. Fiji. I wonder if Australia is going to get upset now that it will have to share some continental limelight in the area with Zealandia? Zealandia has recently been given the status of a continent by several geologists who say that the long lost continent is submerged under water. That’s pretty cool for all of us that studied the names of the continents like crazy for a test on Friday back in grade school. 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. Listen to ZealandiaRising | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.. 1 Tracks. It was originally part of Antarctica (along with Australia) but broke apart, later breaking off from Australia as well. Most of Zealandia lies underwater. Photograph by Lora Johnson, My Shot. A nine-week voyage took scientists from around the world to drill and explore the seafloor off New Zealand and Australia. This is evident as New Zealand has seen itself rising out of the water. It has variously been described as a submerged continent, a continental fragment, a microcontinent, and a continent. In 2002, Outside magazine published a story about the imminent drowning of the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. Stream Tracks and Playlists from ZealandiaRising on your desktop or mobile device. Zealandia doesn't need any more stamps of approval to officially be designated a continent. The scientific impact about what can still be learned about Zealandia is the most interesting part about the discovery. The slow separation caused Zealandia to sink, … Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. 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. Sinking islands call for NZ action - NZ Herald New Zealand Herald The rising levels of the sea are thought to have caused the sinking of the submerged lands. It makes you wonder how they feel about this exciting discovery. Geologists have, over the years, identified seven continents in all -- Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica. This has created a new sea floor and new aquatic life thriving in that area. The area hasn’t always been seen definitively as a continent. There are in fact, four different requirements to classify a land mass as a continent. 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. The continent is largely made up of two parallel ridges, separated by a failed rift. 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. It’s the plate tectonics and their activity that caused the sinking, and are now uplifting the continent. 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. 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. Islands are connected to the planets crust. 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. The only catch? A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. 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! 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 isolated species living here were affected dramatically around 800 years ago, when humans from Polynesia settled in New Zealand. 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. While as a continent, it’s still the smallest on earth, the amount of space it takes up is not too shabby. Is Zealandia Lemuria? It’s nice to see that there are already some names to go with different regions of the underwater land mass. But somewhere around 200 million years ago, it started the slow process of breaking apart. While the vast majority of Zealandia is still … But finally after decades of study, Zealandia gets to be its very own continent! Central and Southern Zealandia include Chatham Rise and the Campbell Plateau. So to make Zealandia an official continent is not quite as simple as filing paperwork in a government office. 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. As we study this new submerged land, we can learn more about the past in terms of crust, fossils, minerals and so much more. It will be a much larger area than appears now. Zealandia is occasionally divided by scientists into two regions, North Zealandia (or Western Province) and South Zealandia (or Eastern Province), … In broad terms, the Australian plate is moving north while the Pacific plate is moving west. In fact, it kind of has a lot of impact. But scientists believe that it sunk beneath the water approximately 100 million years ago! But if research picks up and commercial ventures get started, there could be a lot more control over those waters. With everything in life as a potentially captivating story, Joel is proud to share his thoughts with the world right here on The Richest. 2 talking about this. 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. The geographical bodies on earth are not governed by any one country or group of countries. Consider that volcanic eruptions are kind of like the planet’s opportunity to pass gas. Zealandia's submerged fossils provide valuable clues to life during those time periods. This fragment, called Zealandia, was about half the size of Australia. 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. It also helps in the discovery of other underwater continental land as mentioned before in the Indian Ocean. It’s doubtful that the discovery of this land mass as a continent will change a whole lot of things, except maps and globes. A large fragment of continental Gondwanaland was separated off by the widening gap. If the whole continent were to suddenly rise out of the ocean, what is currently New Zealand would be the highest elevations! 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! Research of this area of the world has been going on for years and it has been an interesting scientific fascination. It just goes to prove how much we still do not know about our own home planet! Underwater zones exist as well, making the area prime for activity. In just a few seconds, an underwater reef was thrown about 20 feet above sea level! Today, the country of New Zealand (the largest above water portion of the new continent) has its own volcanic zones. 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. 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. This map shows the estimated or measured uplift rates in different parts of the country. Scientists began looking into what was beneath the waters around New Zealand a few decades ago. This continent included Africa, South America, Antarctica and Australia along with some other parts of land here and there. 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. Imagine some prehistoric species roaming the countryside of Zealandia. Remember that Zealandia is both volcanically and seismically active, meaning that if mother nature wants to start making noise, it could get loud! In terms of size, it is the world's largest current micro-continent, about half the size of the Australian continent.. 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. Sources: Treehugger, National Geographic, The New Daily. He loves to write about pop culture, including interesting perspectives on every day subjects. All the tectonic activity is what led Zealandia to sink in the first place millions of years ago. While it takes a very long time to sink or even uplift an entire continent, surprisingly, earthquake activity can accomplish some pretty amazing results! Now propose on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists interesting scientific fascination of. Consider a small continent that is recently getting a lot more control over those waters could... In February, scientists announced that there is an eighth continent submerged beneath the water separation caused Zealandia sink... 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