Scientists Find a 'Yellow Brick Road' in a Never-Before-Seen Spot of The Pacific Ocean - ScienceAlert

An expedition to a deep-sea ridge, conscionable northbound of the Hawaiian Islands, has revealed an past dried-out water furniture paved with what looks similar a yellowish ceramic road.

The eerie country was chanced upon by the exploration vas Nautilus earlier this year, portion surveying the Liliʻuokalani ridge wrong Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM).

PMNM is 1 of the largest marine conservation areas successful the world, larger than each the nationalist parks successful the United States combined, and we've lone explored about 3 percent of its seafloor.

Researchers astatine the Ocean Exploration Trust are pushing the frontiers of this wilderness, which lies much than 3,000 meters beneath the waves, and the champion portion is, anyone tin ticker the exploration.

A highlight reel of the expedition's footage published connected YouTube successful April 2022 captures the infinitesimal researchers operating the deep-sea conveyance stumbled upon the roadworthy to Oz.

"It's the roadworthy to Atlantis," a researcher connected the vigor tin beryllium heard exclaiming.

"The yellowish ceramic road?" different dependable countered.

"This is bizarre," added different subordinate of the team.

"Are you kidding me? This is crazy."

Despite being located nether astir a 1000 meters of ocean, the water furniture discovered by researchers connected the acme of the Nootka seamount looks amazingly dry.

On the radio, the squad notes that the crushed looks astir similar "baked crust" that could beryllium peeled off.

In 1 tiny section, the volcanic stone has fractured successful a mode that looks strikingly akin to bricks.

"The unsocial 90-degree fractures are apt related to heating and cooling accent from aggregate eruptions astatine this baked margin," reads a caption to the YouTube video.

At archetypal glance, the effect is easy mistaken for a way to a fantastic caller world. And successful a way, that's not altogether wrong.

Following the ceramic roadworthy is simply a motion we're headed successful the close absorption and could soon larn a full batch much astir Earth's hidden geology.

You tin work much astir the 2022 E/V Nautilus expedition here.

A mentation of this nonfiction was archetypal published successful May 2022.