A team of oceanographers has discovered a colossal undersea mountain in the Pacific Ocean, which stands taller than Greece’s Mount Olympus.
Located approximately 1,448 kilometers off the coast of Chile, this seamount rises 3,109 meters from the ocean floor, nearly four times the height of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
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 utilized advanced sonar technology to map the seamount in remarkable detail, marking a significant achievement in deep-sea exploration.
According to Jyotika Virmani, the institute's executive director, "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."
The seamount is part of a vast underwater mountain range that harbors rich marine biodiversity, including sponge gardens, ancient corals, and rare species like a previously unfilmed squid. The team also discovered a ghostly white octopus, nicknamed "Casper," and recorded the first-ever footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, a species previously known only from a few specimens.
This discovery is particularly important as only about 26% of the seafloor has been mapped at such a detailed level, despite covering 71% of the Earth's surface. The Nazca Ridge, where the seamount is located, could potentially become the world’s first high seas marine protected area under a new UN treaty adopted in 2023.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute's previous expeditions to the region led to the identification of 150 new species, and this latest journey added another 20 potential new species to the list. The details of these discoveries will contribute to the Ocean Census, a global initiative aimed at identifying 100,000 unknown species over the next decade, enhancing our understanding and protection of deep-sea ecosystems.