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17th April 2024
02:58pm BST
Scientists have made an bizarre discovery in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
An expedition to a deep-sea ridge north of Hawaii found what looks remarkably like a yellow brick road on the ocean bed.
The researchers were investigating the seamount trail to try and get a better understanding of the origin of thousands of seamounts in the central and western Pacific Ocean.
During their research though they came across the unique formation which looks eerily like a man-made brick road.
The finding and the scientists' reactions were shared in a YouTube video.
One researcher said: "It's the road to Atlantis."
Another jokily asked if it was the "yellow brick road."
And a third remarked: "This is bizarre. Are you kidding me? This is crazy?”
At the risk of disappointing some of you though, there is a logical answer for the road-like formation.
The YouTube video described the geographical formation as "an example of ancient active volcanic geography."
It continued: “At the summit of Nootka Seamount, the team spotted a "dried lake bed" formation, now IDed as a fractured flow of hyaloclastite rock (a volcanic rock formed in high-energy eruptions where many rock fragments settle to the seabed).
The brick-like appearance was likely caused by "heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin."
The discovery was found during the exploration vessel Nautilus, which has been exploring unknown regions of the ocean seeking out new discoveries in biology, geology, and archaeology.
The exploration is helping researchers take a deeper look at life on and within the rocky slopes of these deep, ancient seamounts.
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