Zealandia - wikipedia Zealandia For other uses, see Zealandia ( disambiguation ). Coordinates : 40 ° S 170 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 40 ° S 170 ° E ﻿ / - 40 ; 170 Topography of Zealandia. The linear ridges running north - northeast ( Colville to the west and Kermadec to the east, separated by the Havre Trough and Lau Basin ) and southwest ( the Resolution Ridge System ) away from New Zealand are not considered part of the continental fragment, nor are Australia ( upper left ), Fiji or Vanuatu ( top centre ). Zealandia ( / ziːˈlændiə / ), also known as the New Zealand continent or Tasmantis, is a nearly submerged mass of continental crust that sank after breaking away from Australia 60 -- 85 million years ago, having separated from Antarctica between 85 and 130 million years ago. It has variously been described as a continental fragment, a microcontinent and a continent. The name and concept for Zealandia were proposed by Bruce Luyendyk in 1995. The land mass may have been completely submerged about 23 million years ago, and most of it ( 93 % ) remains submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of approximately 4,920,000 km ( 1,900,000 sq mi ), it is the world 's largest current microcontinent, more than twice the size of the next - largest microcontinent and more than half the size of the Australian continent. As such, and due to other geological considerations, such as crustal thickness and density, it is arguably a continent in its own right. This was the argument which made news in 2017, when geologists from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia concluded that Zealandia fulfills all the necessary requirements to be considered a continent, rather than a microcontinent or continental fragment. Zealandia supports substantial inshore fisheries and contains gas fields, of which the largest known is New Zealand 's Maui gas field, near Taranaki. Permits for oil exploration in the Great South Basin were issued in 2007. Offshore mineral resources include iron sands, volcanic massive sulfides and ferromanganese nodule deposits. Contents 1 Geology 1.1 Classification as a continent 2 Biogeography 3 Political divisions 4 Population 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Geology Topographic map of Zealandia Zealandia is largely made up of two nearly parallel ridges, separated by a failed rift, where the rift breakup of the continent stops and becomes a filled graben. The ridges rise above the sea floor to heights of 1,000 -- 1,500 m ( 3,300 -- 4,900 ft ), with infrequent rocky islands rising above sea level. The ridges are continental rock, but are lower in elevation than normal continents because their crust is thinner than usual, approximately 20 km ( 12 mi ) thick, and consequently they do not float as high above the Earth 's mantle. About 25 million years ago, the southern part of Zealandia ( on the Pacific Plate ) began to shift relative to the northern part ( on the Indo - Australian Plate ). The resulting displacement by approximately 500 km ( 310 mi ) along the Alpine Fault is evident in geological maps. Movement along this plate boundary has also offset the New Caledonia Basin from its previous continuation through the Bounty Trough. Compression across the boundary has uplifted the Southern Alps, although due to rapid erosion their height reflects only a small fraction of the uplift. Farther north, subduction of the Pacific Plate has led to extensive volcanism, including the Coromandel and Taupo Volcanic Zones. Associated rifting and subsidence has produced the Hauraki Graben and more recently the Whakatane Graben and Wanganui Basin. Volcanism on Zealandia has also taken place repeatedly in various parts of the continental fragment before, during and after it rifted away from the supercontinent Gondwana. Although Zealandia has shifted approximately 6,000 km ( 3,700 mi ) to the northwest with respect to the underlying mantle from the time when it rifted from Antarctica, recurring intracontinental volcanism exhibits magma composition similar to that of volcanoes in previously adjacent parts of Antarctica and Australia. This volcanism is widespread across Zealandia but generally of low volume apart from the huge mid to late Miocene shield volcanoes that developed the Banks and Otago Peninsulas. In addition, it took place continually in numerous limited regions all through the Late Cretaceous and the Cenozoic. However, its causes are still in dispute. During the Miocene, the northern section of Zealandia ( Lord Howe Rise ) might have slid over a stationary hotspot, forming the Lord Howe Seamount Chain. Zealandia is occasionally divided by scientists into two regions, North Zealandia ( or Western Province ) and South Zealandia ( or Eastern Province ), the latter of which contains most of the Median Batholith crust. These two features are separated by the Alpine Fault and Kermadec Trench and by the wedge - shaped Hikurangi Plateau, and are moving separately to each other. Classification as a continent The case for Zealandia being a continent in its own right was argued by Nick Mortimer and Hamish Campbell in their book Zealandia : Our continent revealed in 2014, citing geological and ecological evidence to support the proposal. In 2017, a team of eleven geologists from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia concluded that Zealandia fulfills all the requirements to be considered a drowned continent, rather than a microcontinent or continental fragment. This was widely covered by news media. The `` Saint Bathans mammal '', a representative of the Miocene Saint Bathans Fauna. It is evidence that terrestrial mammals besides bats lived in Zealandia. Biogeography New Caledonia lies at the northern end of the ancient continent, while New Zealand rises at the plate boundary that bisects it. These land masses are two outposts of the Antarctic Flora, including Araucarias and Podocarps. At Curio Bay, logs of a fossilized forest closely related to modern Kauri and Norfolk Pine can be seen that grew on Zealandia about 180 million years ago during the Jurassic period, before it split from Gondwana. These were buried by volcanic mud flows and gradually replaced by silica to produce the fossils now exposed by the sea. During glacial periods, more of Zealandia becomes a terrestrial rather than a marine environment. Zealandia was originally thought to have no native land mammal fauna, but the discovery in 2006 of a fossil mammal jaw from the Miocene in the Otago region shows otherwise. Political divisions Exclusive economic zone of New Zealand and continental shelf boundaries for much of Zealandia The total land area ( including inland water bodies ) of Zealandia is 286,655 km ( 110,678 sq mi ). Of this, New Zealand comprises the majority, at 267,988 km ( 103,471 sq mi or 93 % ) which includes the mainland, nearby islands, and most outlying islands including the Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, and Chatham Islands ( but not the Kermadec Islands or Macquarie Island ( Australia ), which are part of the rift ). New Caledonia and the islands surrounding it comprise some 18,576 km ( 7,172 sq mi or 7 % ) and the remainder is made up of various territories of Australia including Lord Howe Island Group ( New South Wales ) at 56 km ( 22 sq mi or 0.02 % ), Norfolk Island at 35 km ( 14 sq mi or 0.01 % ), as well as Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs ( Coral Sea Islands Territory ) with 0.25 km ( 0.097 sq mi ). Population The total human population of Zealandia today is about 5 million people. New Zealand -- 4,735,600 New Caledonia -- 252,000 Norfolk Island -- 2,302 Lord Howe Island Group -- 347 Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs -- 0 References Jump up ^ `` Figure 8.1 : New Zealand in relation to the Indo - Australian and Pacific Plates ''. The State of New Zealand 's Environment 1997. 1997. Retrieved 20 April 2007. Jump up ^ Danver, Steven L. ( 22 December 2010 ). Popular Controversies in World History : Investigating History 's Intriguing Questions. ABC - CLIO. p. 187. ISBN 978 - 1 - 598 - 84078 - 0. Zealandia or Tasmantis, with its 3.5 million square km territory being larger than Greenland,... Jump up ^ Keith Lewis ; Scott D. Nodder ; Lionel Carter ( 11 January 2007 ). `` Zealandia : the New Zealand continent ''. Te Ara : The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2007. ^ Jump up to : Mortimer, Nick ; Campbell, Hamish J. ; et al. ( 2017 ). `` Zealandia : Earth 's Hidden Continent ''. GSA Today. 27. doi : 10.1130 / GSATG321A. 1. CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. ( link ) Jump up ^ Luyendyk, Bruce P. ( April 1995 ). `` Hypothesis for Cretaceous rifting of east Gondwana caused by subducted slab capture ''. Geology. 23 ( 4 ) : 373 -- 376. doi : 10.1130 / 0091 - 7613 ( 1995 ) 023 < 0373 : HFCROE > 2.3.CO ; 2. Jump up ^ `` Searching for the lost continent of Zealandia ''. The Dominion Post. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2007. We can not categorically say that there has always been land here. The geological evidence at present is too weak, so we are logically forced to consider the possibility that the whole of Zealandia may have sunk. Jump up ^ Campbell, Hamish ; Gerard Hutching ( 2007 ). In Search of Ancient New Zealand. North Shore, New Zealand : Penguin Books. pp. 166 -- 167. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 302088 - 2. Jump up ^ Wood, Ray ; Stagpoole, Vaughan ; Wright, Ian ; Davy, Bryan ; Barnes, Phil ( 2003 ). New Zealand 's Continental Shelf and UNCLOS Article 76 ( PDF ). Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences series 56 ; NIWA technical report 123. Wellington, New Zealand : Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited ; National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. p. 16. Retrieved 22 February 2007. The continuous rifted basement structure, thickness of the crust, and lack of seafloor spreading anomalies are evidence of prolongation of the New Zealand land mass to Gilbert Seamount. Jump up ^ Mortimer, Nick ; Hamish Campbell ( 2014 ). Zealandia : Our continent revealed. North Shore, New Zealand : Penguin Books. pp. 72ff. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 357156 - 8 Jump up ^ `` Zealandia : Is there an eighth continent under New Zealand ? ''. BBC News. 2017 - 02 - 17. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Great South Basin -- Questions and Answers ''. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2008. Jump up ^ `` New survey published on NZ mineral deposits ''. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2008. Jump up ^ `` Figure 4. Basement rocks of New Zealand ''. UNCLOS Article 76 : The Land mass, continental shelf, and deep ocean floor : Accretion and suturing. Retrieved 21 April 2007. Jump up ^ Mortimer, Nick ; Hamish Campbell ( 2014 ). Zealandia : Our continent revealed. North Shore, New Zealand : Penguin Books. pp. 120ff. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 357156 - 8. Jump up ^ Yarwood, V. Book review of `` Zealandia : Our continent revealed '', New Zealand Geographic, November - December 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ Potter, Randall ( 16 February 2017 ). `` Meet Zealandia : Earth 's latest continent ''. CNN. Jump up ^ Hunt, Elle ( 16 February 2017 ). `` Zealandia -- pieces finally falling together for continent we did n't know we had ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ East, Michael ( 16 February 2017 ). `` Scientists discover ' Zealandia ' -- a hidden continent off the coast of Australia ''. The Telegraph. Jump up ^ Fossil forest : Features of Curio Bay / Porpoise Bay Retrieved on 6 November 2007 Jump up ^ Campbell, Hamish ; Gerard Hutching ( 2007 ). In Search of Ancient New Zealand. North Shore, New Zealand : Penguin Books. pp. 183 -- 184. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 302088 - 2. Jump up ^ http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/population_clock.aspx Further reading Mortimer, N., and Campbell, H. ( 2014 ) Zealandia : Our continent revealed. Auckland : Penguin Books ( NZ ). ISBN 978 - 0143571568 External links Zealandia the New Zealand ( drowned ) Continent, from Te Ara Continents of the world Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North America South America Afro - Eurasia Americas Eurasia Oceania Former supercontinents Gondwana Laurasia Pangaea Pannotia Rodinia Columbia Kenorland Nena Sclavia Ur Vaalbara Historical continents Amazonia Arctica Asiamerica Atlantica Avalonia Baltica Cimmeria Congo craton Euramerica Kalaharia Kazakhstania Laurentia North China Siberia South China East Antarctica India Submerged continents Kerguelen Plateau Zealandia Possible future supercontinents Pangaea Ultima Amasia Novopangaea Mythical and hypothesised continents Atlantis Kumari Kandam Lemuria Meropis Mu Hyperborea Terra Australis See also Regions of the world Continental fragment Book Oceanic features of Zealandia Major divisions Western Province ( North Zealandia ) Eastern Province ( South Zealandia ) Plateaux, ridges, and rises Bellona Plateau Bounty Platform Campbell Plateau Challenger Plateau Chatham Rise Chesterfield Plateau Colville - Lau Ridge Dampier Ridge Fairway Ridge Kenn Plateau Lord Howe Plateau Loyalty Ridge Mellish Rise Norfolk Ridge Northland Plateau Puysegur Ridge Resolution Ridge Three Kings Ridge West Norfolk Ridge Troughs and trenches Bellona Gap Bellona Trough Bounty Trough Havre Trough Hikurangi Trench New Caledonia Trough Puysegur Trench Oceanic basins Bellona Basin Campbell Basin Canterbury Basin Capel Basin Cato Basin Chatham Slope Dampier Basin Deepwater Taranaki Basin East Coast Basin Emerald Basin Fairway Basin Faust Basin Gower Basin Great South Basin Middleton Basin Monowai Basin Moore Basin New Caledonia Basin Norfolk Basin Northeast Slope Northland Basin Outer Campbell Basin Pegasus Basin Pukaki Basin Raukumara Basin Reinga Basin South Fiji Basin South Loyalty Basin Taranaki Basin Wanganui Basin West Coast Basin Seamounts Banc Capel Capel Guyot Clark Seamount Flinder 's Seamount Gifford Guyot Gilbert Seamount Graveyard Seamounts Havre Seamount Lord Howe Seamount Chain Rumble III Seamount Rumble IV Seamount Rumble V Seamount South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts Tangaroa Seamount Tasmantid Seamount Chain Other Alpine Fault Kermadec Plate Maari oil field Maui gas field Pohokura field Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zealandia&oldid=802393944 '' Categories : New Zealand seafloor ( oceanography ) Continental fragments Continents Zealandia Geology of New Zealand Geography of New Caledonia Geography of Oceania Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. 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Question: what continent is new zealand part of map
Answer: Zealandia