What happened: The eighth continent Zealandia is completely submerged in water. In 2017, a team of geologists declared it to be one of the continents; however, not all of the researchers are convinced about it. A geologist from New Zealand, Nick Mortimer, stated, “It is the thinnest, most submerged and the smallest continent.” Details: The term Zealandia was first time coined in 1995 and is made up of the submerged chunks of New Zealand. It is pertinent to mention here that 94% of the 8th continent is underwater. At the same time, the researchers believe that Zealandia’s history is nearly 500 million years old. The lead researcher Nick also added, “We hope that Zealandia will eventually make its way onto general world maps, be taught in schools, and become as familiar a name as Antartica.”
Also: Nearly 80 million years ago, Zealandia broke away from Gondwanaland and has been buried since the past 23 million years ago. The 8th continent has a total area of nearly two million square miles and meets all the criteria for a continental mass.