On Saturday, July 23rd, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration discovered holes on the seabed near the Azores.
The holes were in a 5 to 6 foot line along the ocean floor with each hole separated by 4 inches. Just days later, they found more holes 300 miles from where they first found them at the junction of three tectonic plates. They measured the holes to have a depth of one mile.
The origins of the holes are unknown, but scientists believe that they were created by marine life. On a Twitter post, the NOAA added on, saying “[t]he origin of the holes has scientists stumped. The holes look human made, but the little piles of sediment around them suggest they were excavated by … something.”
Similar holes were also found near the Azores almost 20 years ago. However, 20 years later scientists still are unsure of the origins of these holes. Michael Vecchoine, a biologist who was part of both discoveries, said that “[t]here is something important going on there and we don’t know what it is. This highlights the fact that there are still mysteries out there.”
Although Dr. Vecchione is happy to rediscover the holes, he still wants to learn about their origins. He said that the lack of an answer “reinforces the idea that there is a mystery that some day we will figure out. But we haven’t figured it out yet.”
The NOAA decided to ask the public on popular platforms their opinion for the origin of these marks by posting their discovery online. Many people have discussed their theories. Some think the holes were created by humans or a machine. Others thought a marine organism made the holes to breathe through.
Although that may sound absurd, that possibility was explored in a paper in 2004. Co-authors Mr. Vecchione and Odd Askel Bergstad believed that either the holes were created by a marine animal from either above or below the ocean floor. That theory will be tested, as scientists have gathered sediment from the hole to analyze.
NOAA said the team will conduct one more dive and livestream it to the public. From there, they will continue onto another expedition.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/science/holes-ocean-floor-mystery.html
The holes were in a 5 to 6 foot line along the ocean floor with each hole separated by 4 inches. Just days later, they found more holes 300 miles from where they first found them at the junction of three tectonic plates. They measured the holes to have a depth of one mile.
The origins of the holes are unknown, but scientists believe that they were created by marine life. On a Twitter post, the NOAA added on, saying “[t]he origin of the holes has scientists stumped. The holes look human made, but the little piles of sediment around them suggest they were excavated by … something.”
Similar holes were also found near the Azores almost 20 years ago. However, 20 years later scientists still are unsure of the origins of these holes. Michael Vecchoine, a biologist who was part of both discoveries, said that “[t]here is something important going on there and we don’t know what it is. This highlights the fact that there are still mysteries out there.”
Although Dr. Vecchione is happy to rediscover the holes, he still wants to learn about their origins. He said that the lack of an answer “reinforces the idea that there is a mystery that some day we will figure out. But we haven’t figured it out yet.”
The NOAA decided to ask the public on popular platforms their opinion for the origin of these marks by posting their discovery online. Many people have discussed their theories. Some think the holes were created by humans or a machine. Others thought a marine organism made the holes to breathe through.
Although that may sound absurd, that possibility was explored in a paper in 2004. Co-authors Mr. Vecchione and Odd Askel Bergstad believed that either the holes were created by a marine animal from either above or below the ocean floor. That theory will be tested, as scientists have gathered sediment from the hole to analyze.
NOAA said the team will conduct one more dive and livestream it to the public. From there, they will continue onto another expedition.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/science/holes-ocean-floor-mystery.html