A team of researchers has discovered a new continent, Zealand, which is mostly hidden underwater in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Zealand is believed to have broken off from the supercontinent Gondwana around 500 million years ago and has since sunk beneath the ocean's surface. The continent is estimated to be around 4.9 million square kilometers in size, roughly the size of India or half the size of Europe. The discovery was made by studying the geological structure of the ocean floor and analyzing rock samples from the region. The finding is set to be discussed at the World Geological Congress in 2020 and, if confirmed, will result in changes to world maps and atlases. The discovery of Zealand could also have significant implications for the search for new energy sources and our understanding of continental drift.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Recently, scientists discovered that there are actually eight continents.
2. The new continent is called Zealand, also known as the Tasmanian continent.
3. Zealand is a sunken continent, mostly hidden under the waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean.
4. The visible part of Zealand, which includes New Zealand and New Caledonia, is only about 7% of its total area.
5. The underwater part of Zealand consists mainly of two parallel ridges separated by a relatively shallow fault.
6. The surface of Zealand was once covered with forest, including pines from the Jurassic period.
7. Zealand was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana, which also included Antarctica, India, Africa, South America, and Australia.
8. Zealand began to break apart from Gondwana about 500 million years ago.
9. The maximum level of immersion of Zealand occurred about 30 million years ago, and it is now slowly rising upwards again.
10. The movement of the Australian plate will eventually break Zealand in half, leading to a radical change in the landscape.
11. Zealand is relatively small, with an area of approximately 4.9 million square kilometers.
12. The discovery of Zealand could lead to changes in the world's maps and potentially affect the alignment of forces in the world's political arena.
13. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea considers the actual geological boundaries of a continent as those running along its continental shelves.
14. Recognition of Zealand's boundaries could automatically increase the territory of any country existing on it.
15. A state to which a continental plate belongs has greater rights to develop minerals and other resources existing on that plate.
16. The discovery of Zealand may lead to new sources of energy, given the recent discovery of giant deposits of gas and oil in the South Pole region.
17. Zealand will have a tremendous scientific impact, providing new information about movements of the continental crust and confirming the theory of continental drift.