Submerged continent

A submerged continent or a sunken continent is a region of continental crust, extensive in size but mainly undersea.

The terminology is used by some paleogeologists and geographers in reference to some landmasses (none of which are as large as any of the seven generally-recognized continents).

If continental fragments and microcontinents smaller than 2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi), which is approximately one third of the area of mainland Australia, are excluded, then Zealandia (approximately 4,900,000 km2 or 1,900,000 sq mi) would be the only geological feature which is classifiable as a submerged continent.

Other notable submerged lands include Beringia, Doggerland, the Kerguelen Plateau, Mauritia, Sahul, and Sunda.

[1][2] There was also a search in the 1930s for Lemuria, thought to have been a possible submerged continent between the Indian and African coasts.