Recently, scientists found more openings on the seafloor, adding to the ones which were first spotted 18 years ago along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Using a remotely operated vehicle, sea explorers found a pattern of holes in the largely unexplored sand areas.
On July 23, divers saw about a dozen sets of holes resembling a track of lines on the ocean floor at a depth of 1.6 miles near Portugal’s mainland. About a week later, there were more sightings on the Azores Plateau, which is underwater where three tectonic plates meet.
Scientists don’t know what the holes are, but they have encountered similar markings that could be impressions in the sediments and the work of living organisms.
The question the scientists are posting on Twitter and Facebook is: What is creating those marks, with the holes spaced 4 or more inches apart and the lines extending from 5 feet to more than 6 feet, on the ocean floor?
“The origin of the holes has scientists stumped,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration project. “The holes look human made, but the little piles of sediment around them suggest they were excavated by… something.”
On July 23, divers saw about a dozen sets of holes resembling a track of lines on the ocean floor at a depth of 1.6 miles near Portugal’s mainland. About a week later, there were more sightings on the Azores Plateau, which is underwater where three tectonic plates meet.
Scientists don’t know what the holes are, but they have encountered similar markings that could be impressions in the sediments and the work of living organisms.
The question the scientists are posting on Twitter and Facebook is: What is creating those marks, with the holes spaced 4 or more inches apart and the lines extending from 5 feet to more than 6 feet, on the ocean floor?
“The origin of the holes has scientists stumped,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration project. “The holes look human made, but the little piles of sediment around them suggest they were excavated by… something.”
