California, September 6, 2024 – Oceanographers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute have mapped a massive underwater mountain, or seamount, located in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,448 kilometers off the coast of Chile. Rising 3,109 meters from the ocean floor, this seamount is nearly four times the height of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and is part of an underwater mountain range rich in marine life.
The discovery, made during a 28-day expedition aboard the research vessel R/V Falkor (too), uncovered diverse ecosystems, including sponge gardens, ancient corals, and rare marine species such as a newly observed species of squid. Using advanced sonar systems, the team mapped the mountain in detail, marking a significant achievement in deep-sea exploration, as only 26% of the Earth’s seafloor has been mapped at this level.
“The Casper octopus, spotted on one of the seamount’s ridges, has never been captured and doesn’t yet have a scientific name,” said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The team also recorded the first footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid and observed two rare Bathyphysa siphonophores, nicknamed “flying spaghetti monsters” due to their string-like appearance.
This latest expedition is part of a broader effort to map and explore the Nazca Ridge, an area in international waters. Virmani noted that this region could become the world’s first high seas marine protected area under a 2023 UN treaty.
Across three expeditions this year, the team has identified 150 previously unknown species, with an additional 20 potential new species discovered on this voyage. These findings will contribute to the Ocean Census initiative, a global effort aiming to identify 100,000 unknown species over the next decade.
This discovery underscores the rich biodiversity that lies in unexplored oceanic regions and the importance of deep-sea exploration in understanding and preserving marine ecosystems.
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