Geoscientists recently made an incredible discovery – a continent that had been hiding in plain sight for almost 375 years. This continent, known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language, is approximately 1.89 million square miles in size. Zealandia was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana, which existed over 500 million years ago and included Western Antarctica and Eastern Australia.
In 1642, Dutch businessman and sailor Abel Tasman attempted to find the “Great Southern Continent” and came across Zealandia. Although he didn’t locate the new land, he obtained valuable information from the local Māori people about the existence of a large landmass to the east. It wasn’t until 2017 that geologists confirmed Zealandia’s existence, noting that it had been hiding in plain sight all this time.
Scientists are still trying to understand the reasons behind Zealandia’s separation from Gondwana. Most of the continent is underwater, serving as a reminder to geologists that sometimes the most obvious discoveries can take a while to uncover. Zealand Crown Research Institute GNS Science has used Zealandia as an example of this phenomenon.
Nick Mortimer, who led the study confirming Zealandia’s existence, humorously remarked on the uniqueness of the continent, with only three territories residing on it. The discovery of Zealandia serves as a fascinating reminder of the mysteries that our planet still holds.