Challenger Plateau

The Challenger Plateau is a large submarine plateau west of New Zealand and south of the Lord Howe Rise. It has an approximate diameter of 500 km and an area of about 280000 km2. The water depth over the plateau varies between 500 m to 1500 m and is covered by up to 3500 m of sedimentary rocks of Upper Cretaceous to recent in age. The plateau originated in the Gondwanan breakup and is one of the five major submerged parts of Zealandia, a largely submerged continent.