The missing continent it took 375 years to find

Did you know that there is a missing continent? Well, the existence of an 8th continent is highly debated. However, there are some who say that Zealandia should be officially its own continent. (1)

Zealandia: The Missing Continent

In 1642, Dutch Sailor Abel Tasman set sail in search of the mysterious, rumored missing continent. He left Jakarta searching for the land we know today as New Zealand, the islands of French-owned New Caledonia, and Australia-owned Lord Howe Island and Ball’s Pyramid. (1)

This area named Zealandia was originally part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. Formed 550 million years ago, Gondwana was essentially a mass of all land in the southern hemisphere. It broke off from what we now call Antarctica 100 million years ago and off from Australia 80 million years ago. (2)

Currently, it is scientifically known as a microcontinent, because the majority of it is submerged underwater. (2)

It Took Hundreds of Years to “Discover” Zealandia

When Tasman first came upon New Zealand, he experienced a bloody run-in with the native Maori people. The battle, which ended in him firing cannons at Maori canoes, took place entirely in the water. Tasman never set foot on the actual land. (1)

Over a hundred years later, British mapmaker James Cook was on a voyage in the Southern Hemisphere to determine how far away the sun is from Earth. In addition, he was on a secret mission to discover the missing continent. (1)

He was one of the first to “officially” discover New Zealand. Scottish naturalist James Hector, however, was one of the first to find clues pointing to the existence of Zealandia in 1895. Studying the geology of New Zealand and the surrounding islands, he concluded that they were part of:

“the remnant of a mountain-chain that formed the crest of a great continental area that stretched far to the south and east, and which is now submerged…”. (1)

Read: Scientists Detect Signs of a Hidden Structure Inside Earth’s Core

Steps In The Right Direction

Finally, in the 1960s, geologists agreed on the definition of a continent. This meant that they could now actually work toward gathering evidence to prove that Zealandia meets those requirements. (1)

When the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came into effect, things began to move forward faster. It meant that countries could extend their legal territories 370km out from their coastlines. This allows them to claim their “continental shelf” and all of its minerals and oils. (1)

If New Zealand could prove that it was a continent, it could increase its territory six times. This greatly improved the budget for groups working to prove that the missing continent was right here the whole time, just largely hidden underwater. (1)

Finally, satellite data show a continental crust – not oceanic crust – that extends from the island nation under the sea. (1)

Still Not An Official Continent

Zealandia is still not an official continent. No group actually validates continents, so there is no way to formally add Zealandia to the already agreed-upon seven continents. (3)

“If Zealandia was physically attached to Australia, then the big news story here wouldn’t be that there’s a new continent on planet Earth,” says geologist Nick Mortimer. “It’d be that the Australian continent is 4.9 million square kilometers larger.” (3)

Will we ever recognize Zealandia, the missing continent, for what geologists say it is? We will have to wait and find out.

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1. “The missing continent it took 375 years to find.” BBC. Zaria Gorvett. February 7, 2021.
2. “Zealandia.” National Geographic
3. “Is Zealandia a continent?” Science News for Students. Thomas Sumner. March 13, 2017.