In 2022, an expedition to the deep-sea ridge north of the Hawaiian Islands resulted in an unexpected discovery: an ancient, dried-out lake bottom paved with what looked like yellow bricks. The research vessel Nautilus chanced upon this eerie sight while exploring the Liliuokalani Ridge within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM).
PMNM is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, larger than all the national parks in the United States combined, and we have explored only 3 percent of the seafloor.
Researchers from the Ocean Exploration Trust are expanding the boundaries of this wilderness located more than 3,000 meters below the surface of the waves, and the best part is that anyone can watch the research. The most interesting clip of the expedition, published on YouTube in April 2022, captured the moment the explorers using the deep-sea vehicle came across the road to Oz.
“This is the road to Atlantis,” the researcher can be heard shouting over the radio.
– Yellow brick road? another voice objected.
“This is amazing,” adds another team member.
“Are you kidding me? This is crazy.”
Discovered by researchers atop the underwater mountain Nootka, which lies nearly a thousand meters deep in the ocean, the lake’s bottom appears surprisingly dry. The team notes on the radio that the ground resembles a “baked crust” that can almost be peeled off. The volcanic rock has broken down in such a tiny area that it looks strikingly like brick.
“The unique 90-degree cracks are likely related to heating and cooling caused by multiple eruptions at this baked boundary,” the YouTube video’s caption reads.
At first glance, it is easy to mistake this effect for the path to a wonderful new world. And in a way, that’s not entirely wrong. Walking down the brick road is a sign that we’re heading in the right direction, and we may soon learn a lot more about Earth’s hidden geology. You can learn more about the 2022 E/V Nautilus expedition here.
Source: Port Altele
