Cartography of Zealandia: Scientists explore the seabed off the coast of Australia in hopes of unraveling the mystery of Earth’s eighth “hidden” continent that sank into the sea 23 million years ago
- The “lost” continent of Zealandia was first identified by geologists in 2014
- Australian and American experts mapped the depths of northwest Zealand
- The team collected bathymetric data worth 4,286 square miles
- It will be used by the SeaFood 2030 project to build a map of the world’s oceans
Scientists have been exploring Australia’s seabed to unravel the mystery of Zealandia, the eighth “lost” continent that sank into the sea 23 million years ago.
Geologists first identified the mostly submerged continent in 2014, of which New Zealand and New Caledonia remain above the waves.
Australian and American experts have just spent 28 days at sea on the research vessel Falkor mapping the depth of the seabed at the north-western limit of Zealand.
They collected bathymetric data worth 14,286 square miles (37,000 square miles) that they offered to the 2030 seabed project.
This effort aims to produce a publicly available bathymetric map of all the world’s ocean floor by 2030.
Scientists have been exploring Australia’s seabed to unravel the mystery of Zealandia (pictured), the eighth “lost” continent that sank into the sea 23 million years ago
Australian and American experts have just spent 28 days at sea on the research ship Falkor (pictured, with expedition leader Derya Gürer in the foreground) mapping the depth of the ocean floor at the north-western limit of Zealand , in the Coral Marine Park
“We are just beginning to discover the secrets of Zealandia: it has remained hidden until recently and is notoriously difficult to study,” said Derya Gürer, expedition leader and geologist at the University of Queensland.
“Zealandia is an almost completely submerged mass of the continental crust that declined after separating from Gondwanaland 83 to 79 million years ago.”
Gondwanaland is the name given to the supercontinent that included land masses that we would recognize as South America, Africa and Antarctica.
It formed about 550 million years ago before forming part of the largest supercontinent in Pangea and separated about 180 million years ago.
Zealandia, Dr. Gürer continued, ‘covers 4.9 million square kilometers [1.9 million square miles] and it’s about three times the size of Queensland. “
“Our expedition collected topographic and magnetic data from the seabed to gain a better understanding of how the close connection between the Tasman and Coral seas formed in the Cato Trough region, the corridor between Australia and Zealand.”
“The seabed is full of clues to understanding the complex geological history of the Australian and Zeeland mainland plates.”
“These data will also improve our understanding of the complex structure of the crust between the Australian and Zeeland plates.”
“It is believed to include several small continental fragments, or microcontinents, that separated from Australia and the Gondwana supercontinent in the past.”
Geologists identified the mostly submerged continent, of which New Zealand and New Caledonia remain above the waves, in 2014. In the image, a tectonic map of the continent of Zealand, 1,930,511 square kilometers, only a small part of which they arise on earth. On the map, the continental crust is shown in shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown, while the oceanic crust is blue. The crust of the volcanic arc is pink, while the large igneous provinces are green.
While conducting their bathymetric study through the Coral Marine Park, the researchers also took the opportunity to study seabirds and also control microplastic pollution transmitted by the ocean. Pictured: Researchers took samples of microplastics in the wet lab
While conducting their bathymetric study through the Coral Marine Park, the researchers also took the opportunity to study seabirds and also monitor microplastic pollution transmitted by the ocean.
“Through the ship’s running seawater flow system, we analyzed more than 100 samples of microplastics, in addition to 40 samples collected on a previous voyage,” said land scientist Tara Jonell, also of the University of Queensland.
“Only one sample did not contain any visible microplastics,” he added.
According to Dr. Gürer, who is also involved in a citizen science project to combat marine plastic pollution, there was a clear message in seawater, which was collected at depths of up to 3.5 kilometers (2.2 kilometers). miles).
“There seems to be a higher concentration of microplastic fibers in the deep ocean,” he explained.
ZEALAND: THE EIGHT ‘LOST’ CONTINENT EARTH OF THE EARTH
In the picture, the continent of Zealand
‘Zealandia’ – also known as ‘Te Riu-a-Māui’ in te reo Māori – is a mass largely submerged in the continental crust.
Zealandia sank when it broke away from the Gondwanaland supercontinent about 83-79 million years ago.
The concept of Zealandia was first proposed in 1995, but was only recognized as a continent in its own right in 2017.
It is twice the size of the largest microcontinent and also meets the continental criteria for crust thickness and density.