According to Science Alert, a team of geologists from GNS Science in New Zealand has discovered new evidence to confirm that the remarkable structure they found a few years ago is indeed a continent.
“The 8th continent” of Earth – (Photo: NOAA).
Zealandia, identified and confirmed by New Zealand scientists as the sunk 8th continent of Earth, has long been a topic of debate within the scientific community. The biggest obstacle is that the oldest rock and crust samples excavated in Zealandia are only about 500 million years old, while all other continents contain crust that is over 1 billion years old.
However, Dr. Nick Mortimer and his colleagues from GNS Science have found decisive new evidence. They examined 169 granite blocks taken from the landmass beneath New Zealand’s South Island and Stewart Island. This type of rock forms when magma crystallizes deep within the Earth’s crust. By extracting tiny crystals from these rocks, they were able to determine the age of the crystals, which also reflects the age of the continental crust at that location.
According to Insider, the results indicate that this 8th continent was formed between 900 million and 1.3 billion years ago and was part of the ancient supercontinent known as Rodinia. In other words, its age is twice what was previously thought and is comparable to other continents around the world, with a similar origin.
Currently, scientists are working to map the 8th continent and complete the necessary procedures for it to be officially recognized as a continent, described by Dr. Mortimer as the “thinnest, deepest, and smallest” continent.
