“Awe”: a huge underwater mountain discovered off the coast of America

A peak in the depths of the sea twice as high as the Burj Khalifa skyscraper

A huge underwater mountain, twice the height of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the tallest building in the world, has been discovered off the coast of Guatemala. The seamount covers 5.4 square miles of seafloor and is 5,249 feet high. This is twice the height of the Burj Khalifa, which is 2,722 feet tall.

Scientists mapping the seabed off the coast of Guatemala have discovered a huge underwater mountain, writes Daily Mail.

The seamount is 5,249 feet (1,600 m) tall, making it twice as tall as the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building (2,722 feet).

Experts from the Schmidt Oceanological Institute discovered it using a “multi-beam echo sounder” on the research vessel Falkor.

“On every expedition, those aboard Falkor find the unexpected, the awe-inspiring, the new,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder and president of the institute. “Even though we have come to understand so much as discoveries become ever more more obvious, there is so much that remains unknown in our ocean – and we are very excited to continue exploring.”

Covering an area of ​​5.4 square miles (14 square kilometers), the newly discovered seamount lies 7,874 feet (2,400 m) below sea level.

The team discovered it by chance during a six-day trek this summer from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, to the East Pacific Rise, the Daily Mail writes.

“The more than 1.5 km high seamount that was until now hidden beneath the waves really highlights how much we still have to discover,” said Dr Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the institute. “A complete map of the seafloor is fundamental to understanding our oceans.” , so it’s exciting to live in an era where technology allows us to map and see these amazing corners of our planet for the first time.”

Seamounts are known to be hotspots of biodiversity, providing surfaces for a range of creatures, from deep-sea corals to sponges, as well as a variety of invertebrates.

The team believes this new seamount could be one of many.

Recent satellite estimates indicate that there may be more than 100,000 unexplored seamounts greater than 3,280 feet (1,000 m) in height, according to the institute.

Since 2013, the research institute has mapped 555,9871 square miles (44 million square kilometers) of ocean floor, discovering more than 20 underwater features.

Although it only launched in March, Falkor is responsible for nine discoveries, including two unexplored seamounts in the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve, three new hydrothermal vent deposits, a new ecosystem beneath hydrothermal vents and two pristine cold-water coral reefs.

According to the Daily Mail, the Schmidt Oceanological Institute is a partner in the Seabed 2030 project, which aims to map the entire seabed by the end of the decade. This map will not only shed light on the topography of the oceans, but will also help ships navigate more safely.

The institute said: “The lack of detailed underwater topography or bathymetric data makes it difficult for ships to navigate safely at sea, sustainably manage marine resources and protect coastal communities.”