An expedition has discovered and mapped four underwater mountains off the coasts of Peru and Chile, the tallest of which rises to 2,681 meters.
Researchers have identified four massive underwater mountains that tower above the ocean floor around South America after detecting “gravity anomalies” from these submerged peaks. The highest mountain rises more than 2.4 kilometers from the ocean floor, which is three times the height of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, as reported by Live Science on February 8.
Map of underwater mountains. (Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute)
The team of scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor recently discovered and mapped four underwater mountains located 460 to 600 kilometers offshore from Peru and Chile during an expedition across the eastern Pacific from Costa Rica to Chile.
Three of the underwater mountains off Peru rise to heights of 1,591 meters, 1,644 meters, and 1,873 meters, respectively. However, the largest underwater mountain found offshore of Chile reaches 2,681 meters above the ocean floor, which is less than 1.6 kilometers from the water’s surface. In comparison, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, stands at 828 meters, while the Empire State Building is 380 meters tall. The summit of the tallest mountain has a surface area of approximately 450 square kilometers, equivalent to the size of New Orleans.
These colossal underwater mountains are extinct volcanoes so large that they create minor changes in ocean surface elevation. Such gravity anomalies can be detected via satellite. In this case, the ocean surface bulges directly above the mountain, according to John Fulmer, chief technician of the expedition.
Last year, Fulmer’s research team discovered another massive underwater mountain that is twice the height of the Burj Khalifa. However, there are several underwater mountains larger than this. The largest underwater mountain in the world is the dormant volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. It rises approximately 4,205 meters above sea level but extends deep down to the ocean floor, according to the United States Geological Survey. The true height of the volcano is 10,211 meters.
Scientists suspect there may be up to 100,000 underwater mountains scattered throughout the world’s oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, only a small portion of these have been mapped. More than half of the predicted mountains are likely located in the Pacific Ocean. The recent expedition is part of a new project called Seabed 2030, aimed at mapping the entire ocean floor by the end of the decade, uncovering hidden underwater mountains. Using underwater robots, the research team explored one of the ridges, searching for areas of marine biodiversity.
They captured footage of a ghostly white octopus named Casper, marking the first observation of this deep-sea cephalopod in the South Pacific. This new discovery is a highlight of the third expedition of the research vessel to the Nazca Ridge area located in international waters. Previous expeditions in January and February helped classify 150 unknown species. Details about the newly discovered species will be shared with the Ocean Census project, an international collaboration aimed at identifying 100,000 unknown species over the next decade, enabling scientists to better understand and protect deep-sea ecosystems.
| Underwater mountains are often referred to as “biodiversity hotspots” by marine researchers. These structures provide a hard substrate for stationary organisms like corals and sponges to thrive and cause upwelling, bringing nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean closer to the surface, attracting larger animals such as crustaceans, fish, cephalopods, and sharks. Thus, underwater mountains are extremely important marine environments. |
