An expedition to a deep-sea ridge simply north of the Hawaiian Islands revealed a shock discovery in 2022: an historic, dried-up lake mattress paved with what appears like a yellow brick highway.
The disturbing scene was seen by likelihood from the exploration vessel Nautilus, whereas observing the Liliʻuokalani ridge inside Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM).
The PMNM is likely one of the largest marine conservation areas on the earth, bigger than all of the US nationwide parks mixed, and we’ve solely explored approximately 3% of its seabed.
Researchers on the Ocean Exploration Trust are pushing the boundaries of this wilderness, which lies greater than 3,000 meters beneath the waves, and the very best half is that anybody can observe the exploration.
A highlight reel of the expedition footage posted to YouTube in April 2022 captured the second researchers driving the underwater automobile stumbled upon the highway to Oz.
“It’s the highway to Atlantis,” a researcher is heard exclaiming on the radio.
“The yellow brick highway?” one other voice replies.
“This is weird,” provides one other staff member.
“Are you kidding me? This is loopy.”
Despite being below a few thousand meters of ocean, the underside of the lake found by researchers on the high of the Nootka seamount seems surprisingly dry.
On the radio, the staff notes that the bottom virtually resembles a “baked crust” that could possibly be peeled off.
In one small part, the volcanic rock fractured in a approach strikingly just like bricks.
“The distinctive 90-degree fractures are possible associated to heating and cooling stress from a number of eruptions on this baked margin,” law a caption to the YouTube video.
At first look, the impact is well confused with a path to an exquisite new world. And in a approach that is not fully flawed.
Following the brick highway is an indication that we’re entering into the correct course and should quickly study far more about Earth’s hidden geology.
You can learn extra in regards to the 2022 E/V Nautilus Expedition Here.
An earlier model of this text was printed in May 2022.
