A Land Underwater

The Discovery of the Undersea Continent Zealandia

- By Alice Andre-Clark

You might have learned about the world's eight continents-North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, and Zealandia. Wait, what? Eight continents? Zealandia? How could you have looked at the globe and missed a whole continent? Don't feel bad. Until recently, geologists hadn't identified it as a continent, either. That's because almost all of Zealandia is more than a mile (almost two kilometers) underwater.

Finding Their Way to Zealandia

How do you become a continent seeker? New Zealand geologist Nick Mortimer says his interest in rocks started when he was eight years old. He collected his first fossil on a Sunday outing with his family. Arriving in New Zealand after college, he began working with a group of marine geologists. This got him to thinking "about what rocks were out there under the ocean and how they related to the rest of the world." Now, he is a geologist at GNS Science, Te Pū Ao in New Zealand. Another Zealandia team member, Rupert Sutherland, is a professor at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. He says he studied geology because he "wanted to become an explorer and have adventures outdoors." He's not only gotten to explore Zealandia, but he's been to the Arctic Circle and Antarctica.