Atlantis? No, Zealand. You will wonder what that is. We know that our planet was different millions of years ago. The plant and animal exuberance covered the earth. And the shape of the continents is not what we know now, but it has formed. The movement of the tectonic plates changed their appearance dramatically. For example Zealand, the submerged continent from which only a small part emerges today.
Interactive map
Zealand is an old continent with 5 million square kilometers. It retains a small part of its entire surface. But most are under the South Pacific near the Australian coast. Well, it can now be explored through interactive maps.
Two letters and an interactive exploration tool from GNS Science have been released these days. What are you doing? They cover the bathymetry (form of the sea floor) of Zeeland. They also outline the tectonic origins of the eighth continent on Earth. New Zealand is located here. Scientists confirmed that it was swallowed by the Pacific 60 million years ago. It must have been a catastrophic event.
Full frames
These maps are of course a scientific point of reference. But they are also much more than that. They are an opportunity to convey our work to our colleagues, stakeholders, educators and the public. “This is how the main author of the cards manifests itself. It is the geologist Nick Mortimer.
“We created these maps to get an accurate, complete, and current picture of the geology of the New Zealand and Southwest Pacific region. It is much better than before. “
“Their value is that they offer a new context. Here you can now explain and understand the configuration of volcanoes. Not only that, but also New Zealand’s sediment plate and basin boundaries ”, explained in a statement.
Yes, the earth was very different in the past, but the traces of its dramatic changes remain. One of them is Zealand, the submerged continent.
