“Yellow brick road” – Unique formation found on Nootka Seamount

While diving on the Liliʻuokalani Ridge within Papahānaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the Ocean Exploration Trust expedition aboard the E/V Nautilus found what they described as an ‘incredibly unique and fascinating’ feature resembling a ‘yellow brick road’ to the city of Atlantis.

At the summit of Nootka Seamount, the team spotted a “dried lake bed” 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 formation was found at a depth of 1 029 m (3 375 feet).

Featured image credit: EVNautilus (stillshot)