The Quest for Zealandia
Geologists in 2017 claimed to have discovered the elusive eighth continent after nearly 400 years of search. It's a discovery that can well rewrite geography text books.
* Over a century after Tasman discovered New Zealand in 1642, British cartographer James Cook was sent on a scientific voyage to the southern hemisphere.
* His official instructions. Observe the passing of Venus between the Earth and the Sun, in order to calculate how far away the Sun is.
* His secret mission. Discover the southern continent.
Vital Statistics of Zealandia
* 4.9 million sq km in area
* 6 times the size of Madagascar
* 94% underwater
* 6,560 ft or 2 km underwater
But the continent remained hidden.
In the 1960s, geologists agreed on a definition of what a continent is which encompassed :-
* A geological area with a high elevation
* Wide variety of rocks
* A big piece of land with thick crust
In 1995, American geophysicist B Luyendyk speculated that the landmass underwater can be called a continent and suggested a name : Zealandia.
Zealandia comprises
* Island of New Caledonia
* Australian territories of Lord Howe Island and Ball's Pyramid
* Zealandia was originally part of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, which was formed about 550 million years ago.
* Around 105 million years ago, Zealandia started pulling away.
* Usually, the continent crust is around 40 km deep, while oceanic crust is hardly 10 km. As Zealandia was strained, it ended up with a crust now only 20 km deep. That's why it sank and disappeared under the sea.
Gondwana
* Gondwana is believed to have been a supercontinent that existed about 550 million years ago. Geologists believe all modern-day continents were lumped together in this supercontinent. Around 180 million years ago, the continents separated, with the final act being South America separating from Antarctica.
* The name Gondwana means land of the Gonds.
* Gonds are a tribe in India.
* They live in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
Of Recent History
1642 Dutch sailor Abel Tasman sets forth to find the eighth continent in the southern hemisphere.
* Europeans had named the hidden continent : Terra Australis.
* After a circuitous journey from Jakarta, Indonesia, Tasman reaches an island where he met the indigenous Maori people.
* Unknown to him, he had discovered New Zealand.
* His experience with the Maori was so disturbing that Tasman named the rendezvous point as Murderers Bay.
* He also named an island after his sponsor Van Diemen : the name was changed to Tasmania in 1856.
* Europeans knew about Australia but did not believe it to be the legendary continent but when they could not trace the eighth one, they named Australia after Terra Australis.
Tailpiece.
Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The maid had taken the day off today as she had to take her pregnant daughter to the clinic for a routine check up.
To the Pookkodu panchayat to hand over our house-tax exemption certificate but the visit was unsuccessful as the last for submission had been passed a long while back. Mind you, even in these times of the pandemic, the chhota babus of government offices can treat the veterans shabbily. It's my conjecture that they'll collect 'taxes from us' and share the kitty among themselves!
Participated in the webinar : "The Problems and Prospects of Regular School Education Using Digital Technologies" by Manoj Ahuja, IAS, Chairman, CBSE.
The mechanic at Kayankulam has again been caught on the wrong foot because he tells my nephew to apprise me about the work not having been completed even though, he'd assured me that he'd be driving my car for Guruvayur tomorrow at 11, just an hour before that. Have asked Abhilash's dad to sort the matter out as he wields considerable influence in that area.
No comments:
Post a Comment