Zealandia had so much promise as the eighth continent on Earth. Well, it did—until about 95 percent of the mass sunk under the ocean.
While the majority of Zealandia may never host inhabitants—at least, not land-based ones—the would-be continent is now no longer simply lost. Researchers have finished mapping out the northern two-thirds of Zealandia, wrapping up the documentation of the nearly two million square miles of the submerged land mass.