Science & Technology

'Yellow Brick Road' found 3km beneath the sea

By T.K. Randall
May 8, 2022

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Nestled deep beneath the waves at the Lili'uokalani ridge to the north of Hawaii, this intriguing geological feature was spotted during an exploration of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), which is one of the largest marine conservation areas on the planet.

The team behind the discovery certainly isn't hiding anything - the Ocean Exploration Trust actually streams its footage online and anyone can tune in to watch what they are up to in real-time.

They also post highlight videos of particularly interesting finds - such as this one - on YouTube.The 'Yellow Brick Road' - as it has been referred to - is actually the result of ancient volcanic activity.

"At the summit of Nootka Seamount, the team spotted a 'dried lake bed' formation, now IDed as a fractured flow of hyaloclastite rock (a volcanic rock formed in high-energy eruptions where many rock fragments settle to the seabed)," the team wrote.

"The unique 90-degree fractures are likely related to heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin."

You can check out the footage for yourself below.


Source: Science Alert

Tags: Ocean, Nautilus