Ocean Exploration Trust’s efforts were named Expedition NA138. And they had the charter to explore the PMNM. In the effort, they partnered with NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
Yellow brick road near Hawaii
When the bizarre formation was shown on the video a researcher can be heard saying, “It’s the road to Atlantis.”
‘The yellow brick road?’ another adds. And a third team member calls the images ‘bizarre’ and ‘crazy’.
In a team report they claim ‘What may look like a “yellow brick road” is really an example of ancient active volcanic geology.
The team added in a statement: ‘At the summit of Nootka Seamount, the team spotted a “dried lakebed” formation, now identified as a fractured flow of hyaloclastite rock (a volcanic rock formed in high-energy eruptions where many rock fragments settle to the seabed).”
‘The unique 90-degree fractures are likely related to heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin.”
‘Throughout the seamount chain, the team also sampled basalts coated with ferromanganese (iron-manganese) crusts from across different depths and oxygen saturations as well as an interesting-looking pumice rock that almost resembled a sponge,’ the statement said.
