In a captivating discovery in 2022, an exploration team aboard the vessel Nautilus unearthed what appeared to be a ‘yellow brick road,’ deep beneath the waves, just north of the Hawaiian Islands.
While surveying a region on the Liliʻuokalani ridge within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), the team unexpectedly encountered this ancient dried-up lake bed featuring a structure that resembled a yellow road.
PMNM is known as one of the largest marine conservation areas globally, surpassing the combined size of all the national parks in the United States, yet only around three percent of its seabed has been explored so far.
Researchers from the Ocean Exploration Trust are continuously working to explore this vast wilderness, situated more than 3,000 meters below sea level.
Luckily, the public can also join in and observe this exploration through online streams.
A highlight video from the expedition was shared on YouTube in April 2022 and captured the remarkable moment when the team operating the deep-sea vehicle encountered this peculiar formation.
On the radio transmissions, voices filled with gasps of surprise described it as “the road to Atlantis,” while another voice interjected humorously referring to the iconic “yellow brick road” from a beloved film.
The dry appearance of the lake bed, even though it lies nearly a thousand meters beneath the ocean, was particularly intriguing to researchers.
The ground bore a resemblance to a “baked crust” seemingly capable of being peeled away, they noted.
The unique formation observed is primarily due to volcanic rock on the seamount’s summit, which has fissured in a pattern strikingly similar to rectangular bricks.
These distinct 90-degree fractures are believed to be a result of the stress from heating and cooling during multiple volcanic eruptions, forming this ‘baked’ margin appearance, according to the research team.
The immediate visual impact gives an illusion of treading a path leading to a mystical realm.
This perception is not entirely off, as the discovery indeed opens up a new pathway to enhancing our understanding of our planet’s subterranean geology.
Intrigued observers can explore more about the details of the E/V Nautilus expedition and its findings by visiting the official site and viewing the full journey online.