Map of Zealandia: A New interactive map

Because it meets the geologic criteria; (1) high elevation relative to regions floored by oceanic crust; (2) a broad range of siliceous igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks; (3) thicker crust and lower seismic velocity structure than oceanic crustal regions; and (4) well-defined limits around a large enough area to be considered a continent rather than a microcontinent or continental fragment.

 

How large is Zealandia? Look at a map of Zealandia. It’s about the size of India, which was a continent during its northward journey away from Antarctica. India as a continent lost its identity after it collided and joined with Asia between forty and thirty million years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does Zealandia belong to New Zealand?

The Island nation of New Zealand sits atop Zealandia, making up the five percent of the sunken continent above the ocean’s surface. Much of Zealandia then, is an extension of the nation of New Zealand following international laws. Some parts of these laws are well known, for example, the 12-nautical mile limit to territorial waters. But a few more point out that if Zealandia is in fact a continental margin of New Zealand, then that nation can claim economic advantage far from its shoreline.

The International Law of the Sea grants an Exclusive Economic Zone 200 nautical miles out from a nation’s shoreline. But rights can extend beyond that to the limit of the continental shelf. This means the subsea extension of a nation’s rights to the limit of what’s recognized as a submerged continent instead of the seafloor. Submarine mapping of the borders of Zealandia then is of great economic importance to New Zealand.