Modern Mysteries

What happened to New Zealand's terraces ?

By T.K. Randall
May 1, 2016 ·  3 comments

A 19th-century painting of the Pink and White terraces. Image Credit: PD - Charles Blomfield Once described as the "eighth wonder of the world", these impressive natural formations, which were named "treasure" by the local Mauri people due to their alleged healing properties, were known across the globe until in 1886 a devastating volcanic eruption wiped them off the map.

For years it was assumed that the terraces had either been washed away or buried under huge amounts of volcanic mud, but now a new five-year study of the lake has revealed evidence to suggest that the Pink and White terraces may not have completely disappeared.Using a combination of techniques including seismic surveys, side-scan sonar and underwater photography, the researchers found indications that at least some remnants of the terraces may have survived down at the bottom of the lake.

It's a tantalizing first step towards uncovering what became of them and while most of the terraces had been destroyed by the eruption as previously believed, the fact that even traces of them still remain offers hope that, in some small way, this enigmatic natural wonder still survives to this day.

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (3)

Tags: Pink Terraces, White Terraces, New Zealand