Science & Technology

Thousands of mountains found on ocean floor

By T.K. Randall
October 4, 2014 ·  2 comments

What lies at the bottom of the ocean ? Image Credit: NOAA Conducted by researchers at California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the study discovered the presence of hundreds of previously undiscovered mountains or 'seamounts' situated on the ocean floor, many of which being underwater volcanoes.

It is hoped that the data will help to shed some light on how the continents originally formed while also providing the most detailed maps ever made of the bottom of our planet's oceans.The team also managed to map undersea earthquakes and discovered a connection between them and the seamounts. "Most seamounts were once active volcanoes, and so are usually found near tectonically active plate boundaries, mid-ocean ridges and subducting zones," they wrote.

The data will also be used to help pinpoint regions for further study in the future.

Source: Weather Channel | Comments (2)

Tags: Ocean, Seamount