The ocean always has surprises, most of which humans marvel at when encountering them. Researchers discovered a beautiful example of a massive underwater mountain on the Pacific Ocean floor off Guatemala’s coast.
The mountain, otherwise called a seamount, is the remnant of an extinct volcano, as many other seamounts are. At 1,600 meters (5,249 feet) tall, it’s almost twice as tall as Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
The seamount covers 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) and sits 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) below sea level. It was discovered in July during an SOI expedition.
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The expeditions are part of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The institute is a nonprofit organization that advances oceanographic research efforts to explore the ocean using a research vessel, Falkor.
The vessel’s design helps it to map the seafloor using a multibeam echosounder. The echosounder works by sending sound waves to the ocean floor in a fan-shaped pattern. Then, it measures the time it takes for the sound to reach the ocean floor and return.
Tomer Ketter, a hydrographer and marine technician with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, is as amazed by it as many others. He confirmed that the newly discovered seamount is not in any database measuring ocean depths. Not even the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans.
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Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, says it shows just how little of the ocean we’ve seen. He shared in a news release.
“A complete seafloor map is a fundamental element of understanding our Ocean so it’s exciting to be living in an era where technology allows us to map and see these amazing parts of our planet for the first time.”
The seamount’s location is 84 nautical miles outside the Guatemalan Exclusive Economic Zone. Authorities estimate that more than 100,000 seamounts are taller than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) worldwide. However, they have explored less than one-tenth of a percent.
Many experts can’t believe the seamount is not on any chart. The seamount was not on the maps before. However, satellite data predicted its likely location.
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While the new seamount may be taller than the world’s tallest building, some have reached 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) or more. According to reports, Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world, which measures more than 10,210 meters (33,500 feet), began as a seamount in Hawaii.
Seamounts are famous as biodiversity hotspots. They provide great spots where corals, sponges, and other marine invertebrates can cling.
Researchers estimate that 15% to 35% of endemic ocean species live in a seamount ecosystem. Migratory species also prefer using them to breed, feed, or seek refuge.
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