Scientists discovered a dried ancient lake with a "yellow brick road" at the bottom of the ocean

During a 2022 expedition to a deep-sea ridge off the northern coasts of the Hawaiian Islands, scientists made an unexpected discovery – a dried ancient lake with a bottom resembling a yellow brick road. This was reported by UNN with reference to Sciencealert.

Details

It is noted that the Research vessel Nautilus made this strange and terrible discovery while surveying the Liliʻuokalani Ridge in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM).

PMNM is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. It is larger than all US national parks combined, and people have explored only about 3% of its bottom

The Ocean Exploration Trust team is exploring this deep-sea area, which is located more than 3,000 meters below the waves. The most interesting thing is that anyone can follow the expedition online.

Despite the lake bed being under thousands of meters of water, it looks strangely dry. In one small area, the volcanic rock has cracked in a way that resembles bricks. According to the researchers, "the unique 90-degree fractures are likely related to stress from heating and cooling during multiple eruptions on this baked surface."

At first glance, this "path" gives the impression of being made of bricks. According to the expedition members, studying such places helps to learn more about the Earth's hidden geology.

Recall

Researchers discovered diverse life forms at depths of up to 4.375 km below the Earth's surface. The find could help in the search for life on Mars and other planets.

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