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This video demonstrates how scientist think Zealandia was formed.

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SafeShare.tv - Zealandia the ancient continent of New Z...

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New Zealands striking landscape has been shaped by volcanic activity dating back over 500 million years. From the huge eruptions that created many of our most iconic landscape features such as Lake Taupo, Rangitoto Island and Mt Ruapehu, the presence of volcanic forces can be seen far and wide across the country.

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#5 Another Video: The formation Zealandia

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#5 Another Video: The formation Zealandia

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Please watch this video that gives details about Australia and New Zealand and the formation of Zealandia.

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SafeShare.tv - discover of Continent zealandia 8th cont...

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SafeShare.tv removes unwanted distractions from YouTube and Vimeo videos and reduces ads, so you can focus on the content. Perfect for schools and businesses!

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This article adds even more information about Zealandia's beginning.

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Forget Atlantis - there's a real underwater land mass hidden beneath the South Pacific, scientists say. In a new study, they identify it as a continent called Zealandia.

The researchers say that the few small islands that make up New Zealand are actually just part of a large, previously unknown continent, 94 percent of which is submerged under the sea.

Zealandia meets the criteria traditionally used to classify a continent, according the study led by geologists at GNS Science, a New Zealand research group also known by its Maori name, Te Pū Ao.

"Being more than 1 million square kilometers in area, and bounded by well-defined geologic and geographic limits, Zealandia is, by our definition, large enough to be termed a continent," the lead author, Dr. Nick Mortimer, said in a statement.

Eight GNS Science geologists worked with researchers from the Geological Survey of New Caledonia, the University of Sydney, and Victoria University on the study, which is published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America.

So, how did Zealandia get its name? Geophysicist Bruce Luyendyk first suggested the name in 1995 to describe New Zealand, the Chatham Rise, Campbell Plateau, and Lord Howe Rise collectively.

Zealandia has a continental crust thickness between about 6 and 18 miles, the thinnest of any continent. The crust thickness is believed to increase to more than 24 miles under portions of New Zealand's South Island.

This newly identified continent covers about the same amount of area as India. Mortimer added that Zealandia would also be the youngest and most submerged of the Earth's continents.

"Zealandia provides a fresh context in which to investigate processes of continental rifting, thinning, and breakup," Mortimer said.

The authors say they hope their paper will be the "go to" reference for Zealandia in the future, as more work is done to understand its geology and significance.

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Welcome to Zealandia: Scientists see submerged continent beneath New Zealand

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Forget Atlantis - there's a real underwater land mass hidden beneath the South Pacific, scientists say. In a new study, they identify it as a continent called Zealandia. The researchers say that the few small islands that make up New Zealand are actually just part of a large, previously unknown continent, 94 percent of which is submerged under the sea.

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Listen to the video about this new continent.

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SafeShare.tv - Zealandia might be a new continent...

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Some geologists have long suspected the two nations might be part of separate continents. Now, they want to make it official. Learn more about this story at www.newsy.com/67159/ Find more videos like this at www.newsy.com Follow Newsy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/newsyvideos Follow Newsy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/newsyvideos

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Is there an eighth continent? Start here and read about Zealandia and fill in missing words.

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You think you know your seven continents? Think again, as there's a new contender hoping to join that club.

Say hello to Zealandia, a huge landmass almost entirely submerged in the southwest Pacific.

It's not a complete stranger, you might have heard of its highest mountains, the only bits showing above water: New Zealand.

Scientists say it qualifies as a continent and have now made a renewed push for it to be recognised as such.

In a paper published in the Geological Society of America's Journal, researchers explain that Zealandia measures five million sq km (1.9m sq miles) which is about two thirds of neighbouring Australia.

Some 94% of that area is underwater with only a few islands and three major landmasses sticking out above the surface: New Zealand's North and South Islands and New Caledonia.

You might think being above water is crucial to making the cut as a continent, but the researchers looked at a different set of criteria, all of which are met by the new kid in town.

elevation above the surrounding area

distinctive geology

a well-defined area

a crust thicker than the regular ocean floor

The main author of the article, New Zealand geologist Nick Mortimer, said scientists have been researching data to make the case for Zealandia for more than two decades.

"The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list," the researchers explained.

"That a continent can be so submerged yet unfragmented" makes it useful for "exploring the cohesion and breakup of continental crust".

So how then to get Zealandia into the canon of continents? Should text books authors get nervous again? After all, just a few years ago, Pluto got kicked off the list of planets, changing what had been taught in schools for decades.

There is in fact no scientific body that formally recognises continents. So it could only change over time if future research accepts Zealandia on par with the rest so that eventually we might be learning about eight, not seven, continents.

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You think you know your seven continents? Think again, as there's a new contender hoping to join that club. Say hello to Zealandia, a huge landmass almost entirely submerged in the southwest Pacific. It's not a complete stranger, you might have heard of its highest mountains, the only bits showing above water: New Zealand.