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Scientists set sail to unlock secrets of lost continent:
Context:
- Investigation of samples taken by drilling into rock will help discover the history of Zealandia.
Key points about Zealandia:
- Zealandia, which is mostly submerged beneath the South Pacific, was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away some 75 million years ago.
- Covering five million square kilometers, it extends from south of New Zealand northward to New Caledonia and west to the Kenn Plateau off Australia’s east.
- It was a distinct geological entity that met all the criteria applied to Earth’s other continents, including elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, a well-defined area and a crust much thicker than that found on the ocean floor.
- This region was important in influencing global changes.
The research:
- Drill ship will be implemented which will recover sediments and rocks lying deep beneath the seabed in an order to discover how the region has behaved over the past tens of millions of years.
- The recovered cores will be studied onboard, allowing scientists to address issues such as oceanographic history, extreme climates, sub-seafloor life, plate tectonics and earthquake-generating zones.
