When exploring the deep sea, sea explorers usually use largely remotely operated vehicles to examine unexplored areas. But during one exploration, there were strange holes on the ground. The holes were found in the Azores, near Portugal’s mainland, on July 23. Sea explorers saw dozens of holes resembling a track of lines on the ocean floor at a depth of 1.6 miles.
Then about a week later, there were four more sightings of the holes on the Azores Plateau, anunderwater terrain where three tectonic plates meet. The holes were a mile deep and about 300 miles from the initial discovery. Scientists don’t know what the holes are, but they have seen similar markings before called “lebensspuren” German for “life traces,” referring to impressions in sediments created by living organisms. The main question is: What is creating those marks, with the holes about 4 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 a post on Twitter from 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.”
“There is something important going on there, and we don’t know what it is,” Dr. Vecchione said. “This highlights the fact that there are still mysteries out there.” There were many guesses from the public. Are the holes man-made? Could they be a sign of extraterrestrials? Are they tracks left by a submarine? Could they be the breathing holes of a “deep-sea creature that buries itself under the sand?”
According to Dr. Vecchione, the last guess wasn’t necessarily so far-fetched. In a paper about holes spotted in 2004, Dr. Vecchione and his co-worker, Odd Aksel Bergstad, proposed two main hypotheses for why the holes exist. Both involved marine life, either walking or swimming above the sediment poking holes down, or in the inverse scenario, the organism is underneath the sediment poking holes. The holes seen on the ocean floor appeared to have been pushed out from underneath, Dr. Vecchione said.
Although the holes in the sand are still a mystery, deep sea biologists have joined the project, giving the team more experienced researchers. I believe researchers will be able to find the source of the holes. Their findings will also expand our understanding of the sea.
Then about a week later, there were four more sightings of the holes on the Azores Plateau, anunderwater terrain where three tectonic plates meet. The holes were a mile deep and about 300 miles from the initial discovery. Scientists don’t know what the holes are, but they have seen similar markings before called “lebensspuren” German for “life traces,” referring to impressions in sediments created by living organisms. The main question is: What is creating those marks, with the holes about 4 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 a post on Twitter from 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.”
“There is something important going on there, and we don’t know what it is,” Dr. Vecchione said. “This highlights the fact that there are still mysteries out there.” There were many guesses from the public. Are the holes man-made? Could they be a sign of extraterrestrials? Are they tracks left by a submarine? Could they be the breathing holes of a “deep-sea creature that buries itself under the sand?”
According to Dr. Vecchione, the last guess wasn’t necessarily so far-fetched. In a paper about holes spotted in 2004, Dr. Vecchione and his co-worker, Odd Aksel Bergstad, proposed two main hypotheses for why the holes exist. Both involved marine life, either walking or swimming above the sediment poking holes down, or in the inverse scenario, the organism is underneath the sediment poking holes. The holes seen on the ocean floor appeared to have been pushed out from underneath, Dr. Vecchione said.
Although the holes in the sand are still a mystery, deep sea biologists have joined the project, giving the team more experienced researchers. I believe researchers will be able to find the source of the holes. Their findings will also expand our understanding of the sea.
