科學(xué)家在澳洲海岸附近發(fā)現(xiàn)世界第八大洲

Geologists claim to have discovered a new continent to the east of Australia: Zealandia. At 4.9 million square kilometres of land mass, 94 percent of which is under water, Zealandia would be the world's smallest continent.

地質(zhì)學(xué)家聲稱，在澳洲以東發(fā)現(xiàn)了一塊新大陸：西蘭洲。西蘭洲的陸地面積為490萬平方公里，其中94%都浸沒在水中，是世界上面積最小的大陸。

The 11 scientists behind the claim presented their findings in the study "Zealandia: Earth's Hidden Continent" in Geological Society of America, making a case for Zealandia to be recognised as the world's eighth continent in its own right.

提出新大陸說法的11位科學(xué)家在美國地質(zhì)學(xué)會(huì)上發(fā)表了這一研究報(bào)告：《西蘭洲：地球上隱藏的大陸》，他們請求將西蘭洲認(rèn)定為世界第八大洲。

According to their study, the land mass comprises all the four attributes needed to be considered a continent, including the presence of different rock types and crucially "the high elevation relative to regions floored by oceanic crust."

根據(jù)他們的研究，這塊陸地具備了成為大洲所需的四個(gè)要素，包括巖石類型多樣化，關(guān)鍵在于它“相比那些基于海洋地殼的地區(qū)海拔要高”。

"It was not a sudden discovery but a gradual realisation," the scientists wrote.

科學(xué)家在研究報(bào)告中寫道：“這不是突然發(fā)現(xiàn)的，而是逐漸意識(shí)到的。”

The term Zealandia was coined by geophysicist Bruce Luyendyk in 1995, at which time it was believed to possess three of the four necessary qualities required for continent status. A recent discovery using satellite technology and gravity maps of the sea floor have revealed that Zealandia is a large unified area, fulfilling all four requirements.

1995年地球物理學(xué)家布魯斯•魯巖迪克造出了“西蘭洲”這個(gè)詞，當(dāng)時(shí)科學(xué)家認(rèn)為這塊陸地具備了成為大洲所需的四個(gè)要素中的三個(gè)要素。近日運(yùn)用衛(wèi)星技術(shù)和海底重力地圖后發(fā)現(xiàn)，西蘭洲是一整塊大陸，具備了所有四個(gè)要素。

The political and economic implications of a new continent would be manifold, with the question of clearly defining what belongs to New Zealand and Australia particularly salient in light of offshore mining in the area.

一個(gè)新大洲的出現(xiàn)將蘊(yùn)含著多重的政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)意義，主要問題在于該地區(qū)的海底開采權(quán)將如何在新西蘭和澳大利亞之間進(jìn)行劃分。

A six-year study by the GNS Science research institute in New Zealand has revealed that there could be tens of billions of dollars worth of fossil fuels located off-shore in the region.

新西蘭的GNS科學(xué)研究所的一項(xiàng)長達(dá)六年的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，該地區(qū)海底潛藏著價(jià)值成百上千億美元的化石燃料能源。

According to the study, the 94 percent of Zealandia currently submerged broke away from Australia and sank 60-85 million years ago.

根據(jù)該研究，西蘭洲目前被海水浸沒的94%的地區(qū)已經(jīng)和澳洲大陸塊分離，并于6000萬至8500萬年前沉沒海中。