Is the road to mythical Atlantis finally discovered?
In May 2022, three American oceanologists on a mission off the Hawaiian Islands discovered a strange geological formation that bears a striking resemblance to an ancient brick-paved road.
Has the mythical road to Atlantis finally been discovered? While this hypothesis may be mythologically appealing, what scientists from the Ocean Exploration Trust expedition discovered some 1,000 meters below the surface of the water - a strange yellow brick road - is believed to have been shaped by natural volcanic phenomena.
This astonishing geological formation lies at the heart of “Papahanaumokuakea”, an immense marine reserve covering several islands in the north-western Hawaiian archipelago. This highly volcanic area is a life-size lab for scientists studying a chain of ancient volcanoes now buried beneath the waters of the Pacific.
Diving near the summit of Nootka Seamount, scientists discovered a strangely fragmented seafloor, resembling a regimented alignment of perfectly rectangular bricks. This rare type of seafloor immediately brings to mind the yellow bricks in “The Wizard of Oz”, or the road to the elusive city of Atlantis.
The geological explanation for this discovery is called hyaloclastite, a term used to describe volcanic rocks produced when a lava flow comes into contact with water.
The sudden cooling of the flow generates a thermal shock that fractures the crystallizing rock. The 90-degree fractures visible here, which give the impression of bricks, are the result of multiple eruptions, inducing several heating and cooling cycles.
(MH with FL - Source : Science & Vie/Picture : © Screenshot The Ocean Exploration Trust, E/V Nautilus)
