【Married Women’s Sex Party】

For millions of years,Married Women’s Sex Party the underwater continent of Zealandia has done its own thing.

Once part of Australia, it broke off from the country about 75 million years ago and moved northeast. It stopped moving 53 million years ago, but recently the mysterious continent has attracted a lot of attention.

SEE ALSO: Two storms set to undergo bizarre 'Fujiwhara' dance, leaving only 1 standing in the end

On Friday, a team of researchers led by the Australian National University will embark on a two-month-long expedition to examine Zealandia, a 4.9-million square kilometer (1.9-million square mile) chunk of land now mostly submerged underwater.

Zealandia is made up of submerged continental crust, and would connect the islands of New Zealand and New Caledonia -- if you removed the ocean water around them.

"The continental crust of Zealandia was thinned by stretching before it separated from Australia so that it lies lower than Australia," Professor Rupert Sutherland, from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, said in a statement.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Zealandia's continental crust is thicker than the surrounding oceanic crust, and so it lies higher than that."

It's hoped the trip will provide more clues about the global tectonic configuration, and how the "Ring of Fire" -- a large area in the Pacific Ocean that is a hotbed for earthquakes and volcanoes -- came to exist.

Researchers on board the drill ship JOIDES Resolution will examine extracted rock core samples, useful in the study of oceanographic history, extreme climates, and plate tectonics.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The region is also vital for studying changes in global climate and oceanography.

"As Australia moved north and the Tasman Sea developed, global circulation patterns changed and water depths over Zealandia fluctuated. This region was important in influencing global changes," Professor Jerry Dickens, from Rice University, said in a statement.

The research is part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), an international drilling program which involves 23 countries.

Preliminary results of the expedition will be available at the end of September, when the ship docks in Hobart.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Forget smart watches, this voice-powered smart ring will make you look very extra

---

• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Deals
• Shopping
• Tech
• Science
• Life

• The Portable Workstation: Dell XPS 13 + 32 UltraSharp 4K Monitor
• 'Session' is the 'Dark Souls' of skateboarding games
• All the best protest signs from the weekend of Muslim ban demonstrations
• Internet points out irony of Trump screening 'Finding Dory' during #MuslimBan
• The Ideal Smartphone for 2017
• KFC is testing a fried chicken sandwich with donuts as the buns
• Azealia Banks Instagrammed Rihanna's phone number because she's the worst
• Sean Spicer's 'Dancing with the Stars' debut was a national embarrassment
• How to Get Your Significant Other Into Gaming
• Apple Arcade goes live early for some iOS 13 beta users

• The Making of a Comics Biography, Part 1
• How to watch Utah vs. ASU football without cable: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• Staff Picks: Barbara Comyns, Russian Art, Derek Parfit
• Best Amazon Fire Tablet deals: Amazon Fire tablets up to 50% off
• Saint of Saints: Barry the Saint Bernard’s Heroic Life
• An Exhibition of Early Photographs Suggests an Unencumbered Medium
• Uluç Ülgen’s Intimate Conversations with Total Strangers
• 8 burning question we have for 'Gen V' Season 2
• In Celebration, Florida, the American Dream Goes South
• Of lettuce and Trader Joe's: The 9 best tweets of the week

• Trump's foreign aid freeze halts funding for digital diplomacy bureau
• Colorful 'Birds of Prey' poster centers Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn
• All the best protest signs from the weekend of Muslim ban demonstrations
• Sadly, it's probably time to think about upgrading from your iPhone 6S
• Donald Trump talked about space and Buzz Aldrin's face says it all
• Apple Card owners now get 3 percent cashback on Walgreens purchases
• This may be the most gloriously brutal J.K. Rowling burn of all time
• Jake Gyllenhaal shares adorable 'Spider
• Will Oracle take over TikTok? Trump says he'll make a decision in 30 days
• Looks like US Weekly didn't read the memo about not normalizing Trump

• The Best CPU & GPU Purchases of 2017
• Pentesters arrested probing courthouse security charged as criminals
• 'Big Bang Theory' actor brings #MuslimBan protests to the red carpet
• Winnie the Pooh dancing is the remedy for all your negative feelings
• Getting Started with Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
• Angry neighbor writes a savage letter following a horrible party
• Pigeon poops on politician trying to fix pigeon poop problem
• Zendaya offers modeling job to woman bullied on Twitter
• The Year in Tech: 2014 Top Stories
• Want these iPhone 11 Pro colors? You might have to wait awhile.