Scientists have found a collection of mysterious “perfectly aligned” holes within the sediment 1.7 miles beneath the floor of the Atlantic Ocean – and have no idea what has induced them.
They had been discovered by the US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) whereas conducting an exploration of the ocean mattress across the mid-Atlantic Ridge utilizing a remotely operated car.
The holes (or vents, or trails?) had been discovered within the sediment close to the summit of an underwater volcano north of the Azores.
In a publish on Facebook, NOAA acknowledged that the holes had beforehand been reported from the area – “but their origin remains a mystery”.
“While they look almost human made, the little piles of sediment around the holes make them seem like they were excavated by… something,” the company wrote – earlier than asking its followers to recommend their concepts.
Several individuals questioned whether or not a machine had taken sediment samples, or bedrock shifting beneath the underside of the ocean releasing methane which has bubbled up from contained in the Earth.
Some of the solutions with much less proof to help them included aliens and “something left over from Atlantis”, whereas a extra rational proposal prompt: “It looks like the sediment falling down through openings, not pressure blowing upward.”
“If there could possibly be something like a submarine buried under there that shifted and sediment fell down through the vents/holes of the outer casing,” they added.
The underwater exploration was meant to be uncovering the submerged mountain vary, however the images captured on 23 July have baffled scientists.
NOAA says that the mid-Atlantic Ridge has “active tectonic spreading” and is the positioning of frequent earthquakes, in addition to a hotbed of hydrothermal vents.
Source: information.sky.com”