A large landmass submerged beneath the South Pacific has reignited the scientific debate over the traditional division of continents, after researchers confirmed that it meets the criteria to be considered Earth's "eighth continent." It's called Zealandia, a giant geological structure located mostly under the waters of the South Pacific and that has been the subject of debate among geologists for decades. Unlike the typical ocean floor, this landmass is characterized by a thicker crust and the presence of granitic rocks, elements that distinguish it from the surrounding oceanic volcanic crust.

According to the researchers, these characteristics make Zealandia meet the basic criteria of a continent: a continuous structure, continental composition, and a crust geologically distinct from the seafloor.

Known as part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, Zealandia was once connected to the land masses that today make up Africa, South America, Antarctica and Australia. With the movement of tectonic plates, it gradually broke apart and slowly sank over millions of years, remaining hidden beneath the ocean.

The process of subduction did not happen suddenly, but developed gradually over geological time, making this continent invisible to the human eye until modern scientific research. The discovery of Zealandia is being considered by the scientific community as an important step in understanding the structure of the Earth and its geological history, challenging the traditional way of dividing continents on world maps.