Earth’s oceans are pretty great at hiding things, but we might have discovered one of their many giant secrets. Scientists recently announced that an eighth continent could be added to the seven we already know and love.
It’s called Zealandia (pretty cool name, right?), and some of it has been visible this whole time. The islands that make up New Zealand are part of the landmass that is otherwise 94 percent submerged.
Scientists published in the Geological Society of America Journal claim that Zealandia is 1.9 million square miles— about two thirds of Australia.
Qualifications to be called a continent include: elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, well-defined area and a crust thicker than the ocean floor. Zealandia has all of these.
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