Scientists make a surprising discovery by submerging a robot in the Pacific
An unexpected discovery has recently been made by a group of scientists who were exploring an ancient chain of submarine volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. Unexpectedly, discovered what looks like a “yellow brick road”. But that bricked floor is actually the result of volcanic geology, which has fractured the rock in a curiously even and regular way.
Pilots of the submersible ‘E/V Nautilus’ exploring the ancient seamounts of Liliʻuokalani Ridge as part of the Luʻuaeaahikiikekumu expedition were responsible for the discovery, which you can watch in the video below.
The team attempts to sample a manganese crust from the seafloor with the help of a robotic arm. Using the robot, scientists take a closer look at a piece of ferromanganese crust, a marine sedimentary mineral deposit made up of oxides of iron and manganese.
The “Road to Atlantis”
Once the sample is obtained, the vehicle stumbles upon a surprisingly smooth-looking stretch they call the “yellow brick road” or, ironically, “the road to Atlantis.”
“What may seem like a ‘yellow brick road’ to the mythical city of Atlantis! It really is an example of ancient active volcanic geology! the scientists explained. The bizarre geological formation was located on a stretch of the summit of the Nutka Seamount, which sits within the Papahānaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
At first, it looked like a piece of dried up lake bed, but it was later identified as hyaloclastite, which is a type of volcanic rock found in places where high-energy eruptions have deposited fragments on the seafloor. The reason it looks so much like artificial brickwork is that it has fractured on a regular basis as a result of being repeatedly heated and cooled over time as more eruptions occurred in the region.
“Imagine it a bit like the top of a good brownies; the surface is solid, but it can rise and fall in heat and cold, creating cracks in its surface. This ancient volcanic rock has behaved in a similar way, only for much longer and with a tastier taste,” say the scientists.
Reference article: https://www.cnet.com/science/scientists-spot-weird-yellow-brick-road-in-pacific-ocean/
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