An expedition on a deep-sea ridge just north of the Hawaiian Islands has uncovered an old, dried-up lake bed that resembles a yellow stone path. The spooky scene was found by chance by the expedition ship Nautilus, which was exploring the Liliʻuokalani ridge, now inside the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM).
PMNM is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, with an area greater than all national parks in the United States combined, and only 3 percent of the seafloor has been explored. Ocean Exploration Trust researchers are pushing the boundaries of this wilderness that stretches more than 3,000 meters below the waves, and these discoveries can be watched by anyone.
Researchers provide live footage all day, every day, and a featured video recently posted on YouTube captures a moment as researchers aboard the deep-sea craft make their way to Oz.
A researcher on the radio can be heard shouting, “The way to Atlantis.” Another voice said, “Yellow stone road?” he replies. “This is really weird,” another member of the team adds in his own comment.
The lake bed, discovered by researchers at the summit of the Nootka seamount, looks surprisingly dry despite being about a thousand meters below the ocean. The team notes that on the radio, the floor almost looks like “cooked crust” that can peel off.
In a small portion, the volcanic rock appears to be cracked or broken in a surprisingly similar way to stone bricks. The caption of the YouTube video states, “The unique 90-degree fractures are most likely related to heating and cooling stress from multiple explosions in this baked section.”
At first glance, this image can easily be mistaken for a road to a new world. And in a way, we can say that there is truth in this interpretation.
E/V Nautilus takes us on a journey to parts of our planet we’ve never seen before. Following the stone path can be interpreted as a sign that we are heading in the right direction and that we may soon learn much more about Earth’s hidden geology.
You can read more about the 2022 E/V Nautilus expedition here (in English)…
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