Bellona Platform

The Bellona Platform is a submarine geological feature encompassing the Chesterfield Islands (19°21′S 158°40′E) and Bellona Reefs (20.999948°S 158.999313°E / -20.999948; 158.999313) west of New Caledonia. It was once a 22,800 square kilometres (8,800 sq mi) landmass, which became mostly submerged when sea levels rose at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, 20,000 years ago. It might have played a role in the spread of flora and fauna, including humans, in the southwest Pacific.^[1]