During an expedition on July 23rd, sea explorers along with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) scientists reported strange markings along a volcanic ridge at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, north of Azores. The holes were spaced out four inches apart, and around five to six feet in length. Scientists are not sure about the source of these mysterious holes.
The explorers used a remote camera to photograph the holes and other marine life creatures. The holes were spotted about 1.6 miles (2.6 km or 2,540 meters) down into the surface.
However, a new set was found on the Azores Plateau around a week later. These holes were a mile deep and about 300 miles away from the original sighting. Unfortunately, scientists were still left wondering about the meaning of these markings.
“The origin of the holes has scientists stumped,” said the 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.”
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time scientists found these unusual holes. On the 13th of July, 2004, scientists found them located north of the Azores. The dive was 2,082 meters in depth, and scientists said the holes appeared to be 6 x 1.5 cm.
There were many theories on social media about the holes. Hypothesis ranged from man-made to sea creatures burrowing themselves under the sand. In a paper from Michael Vecchione, a NOAA deep-sea biologist and his co-author, Odd Aksel Bergstad, a former researcher at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, two main hypotheses are proposed: either marine life swims or walks, which creates the holes, or they were burrowing themselves underneath the sand. However, there is still no evidence to fully support either hypothesis.
“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.”
Explorers with NOAA plan on a third expedition named Voyage to the Ridge 2022 to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on August 7th. Hopefully, this mission will reveal more about the nature of these extraordinary markings.
Link to articles:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/science/holes-ocean-floor-mystery.htm
https://earthsky.org/earth/weird-holes-azores-atlantic-ocean-noaa/
The explorers used a remote camera to photograph the holes and other marine life creatures. The holes were spotted about 1.6 miles (2.6 km or 2,540 meters) down into the surface.
However, a new set was found on the Azores Plateau around a week later. These holes were a mile deep and about 300 miles away from the original sighting. Unfortunately, scientists were still left wondering about the meaning of these markings.
“The origin of the holes has scientists stumped,” said the 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.”
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time scientists found these unusual holes. On the 13th of July, 2004, scientists found them located north of the Azores. The dive was 2,082 meters in depth, and scientists said the holes appeared to be 6 x 1.5 cm.
There were many theories on social media about the holes. Hypothesis ranged from man-made to sea creatures burrowing themselves under the sand. In a paper from Michael Vecchione, a NOAA deep-sea biologist and his co-author, Odd Aksel Bergstad, a former researcher at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, two main hypotheses are proposed: either marine life swims or walks, which creates the holes, or they were burrowing themselves underneath the sand. However, there is still no evidence to fully support either hypothesis.
“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.”
Explorers with NOAA plan on a third expedition named Voyage to the Ridge 2022 to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on August 7th. Hopefully, this mission will reveal more about the nature of these extraordinary markings.
Link to articles:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/science/holes-ocean-floor-mystery.htm
https://earthsky.org/earth/weird-holes-azores-atlantic-ocean-noaa/
