A scientific expedition initiated for a deep-sea ridge in the Pacific Ocean resulted in the discovery of a fascinating “yellow brick road” lying on the seafloor. The strange yet intriguing pathway was discovered by the vessel dubbed Nautilus during an exploration funded by the NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Scientists had chanced upon the ‘yellow brick road’ while examining the Liliʻuokalani ridge in the Pacific Ocean’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM).
In a video shared on YouTube, a researcher described the formation as the road to Atlantis, the mythical city. On the other hand, one compared it to the yellow brick road that was popularized in The Wizard of Oz movie. Their excitement at such a discovery, which appears to be man-made, is nearly palpable.
Per scientists, such a unique geological formation resulted from ancient volcanic geology that has fractured rock uniformly. The formation seems similar to a dried lake bed. But is a hyaloclastite, a volcanic rock that results from high-energy eruptions that lead numerous rock fragments to settle on the seabed.
IFL Science explained that the reason why it looks uniform and brick-like is with time, it has warmed and cooled repeatedly as further eruptions kept taking place in the same region.
Scientists are expecting to furnish more insights into life on and within ancient seamounts (underwater mountains resulting from volcanic activities) via such a one-of-its-kind survey.
Reference: EVNautilus – YouTube
The Marine Learners does not own the rights of the video.