The Earth's Eighth Continent The "Zealandia"

Since 2020 we only know that there Continents are there in the world but now there is one more Zealandia the eight continent. 94% beneath the sea and just 6% above. Hidden for centuries, Zealandia was once a part of the same land mass as Antarctica and Australia before breaking off 85 million years ago. 

Source : WIKICOMMONS

New Zealand's research institute, GNS Science, published two new maps and an interactive website on Monday where people can sit back at home and explore this new continent as the site depicts its coastlines and territorial limits. Giving people across the world, a novel way to explore the complex geoscience data, GNS Science found this continent underwater and as many argue that the massive sunken landmass should be classified as Earth's eighth continent, almost 95 percent of its total landmass is still underwater.

Researchers thought it was ultimately submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean, a little over 20 million years ago, after it broke off from the supercontinent Gondwana around 80 million years back. A report in New Atlas claims that with New Zealand and New Caledonia as its only two above-water landmasses, Zealandia is around one-third smaller than the continent of Australia.

Another report in CNN claims that it was home to dinosaurs and lush rainforest and that, Zealandia is about half the size of Australia. According to US government research agency, National Science Foundation, the world's largest tectonic plate - the Pacific Plate, sank below the continental crust of Zealandia which caused the root of the continent to break off and sink as well.