Imagine stacking four skyscrapers the height of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, on top of each other. That’s almost the height of an underwater mountain recently discovered and mapped by oceanographers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute in California, the New York Post reported.
This massive seamount, located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,448 kilometres off the coast of Chile, rises 3,109 meters from the ocean floor. It’s part of an underwater mountain range teeming with life, including sponge gardens, ancient corals, and rare marine species such as a previously unfilmed species of squid.
The discovery was made during a 28-day expedition led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute aboard the research vessel R/V Falkor (too). The team used a sonar system beneath the ship’s hull to map the mountain in detail.
“Sound waves travel down, bounce off the surface, and return. By measuring the time it takes for the sound to return, we can create a detailed map of the seabed,” explained Jyotika Virmani, the institute’s executive director.
This discovery is significant because only about 26% of the seafloor has been mapped at this level of detail, even though the seafloor covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.
Oceanographers estimate there are at least 100,000 seamounts around the world that are taller than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). These underwater mountains provide crucial habitats for a wide range of species. The newly mapped seamount, which is taller than Mount Olympus in Greece (2,917 meters or 9,570 feet), but shorter than Japan’s Mount Fuji (3,776 meters or 12,388 feet), is nearly four times the height of Burj Khalifa (830 meters or 2,723 feet).
Using an underwater robot, the team explored one of the mountain’s ridges and discovered an area rich in marine biodiversity. Among their finds was a ghostly white octopus, nicknamed “Casper,” marking the first time this deep-sea creature has been observed in the southern Pacific. The team also spotted two rare Bathyphysa siphonophores, which are sometimes referred to as “flying spaghetti monsters” due to their string-like appearance.
“The Casper octopus has never been captured, so it doesn’t yet have a scientific name,” Virmani noted.
Additionally, the team recorded the first-ever footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, a species previously known only from a few collected specimens.
These discoveries were among the highlights of the research vessel’s third expedition this year to the Nazca Ridge, an area in international waters. According to Virmani, this region could potentially become the world’s first high seas marine protected area under a new UN treaty adopted in 2023.
“Across the three expeditions, we mapped and explored 25 seamounts, which is quite a number,” Virmani said. “We’ve gathered significant data that could help make the case for protecting this region.”
The previous expeditions in January and February led to the identification of 150 previously unknown species. During this latest expedition, an additional 20 potential new species were discovered.
Details of these newly discovered species will be shared with the Ocean Census, a global initiative aiming to identify 100,000 unknown species over the next decade. This effort is crucial for better understanding and protecting the deep-sea ecosystem.
