Researchers created a new map of the floor at the bottom of some of the deepest parts of the ocean, revealing thousands of previously unknown seamounts. The findings could help researchers gain insight into how the continents were formed.
The scientists looked at two untapped streams of satellite data and combined it with existing information to create a highly detailed map, the National Science Foundation reported. The researchers also mapped out earthquakes, and found they were closely linked to seamounts, which were mostly volcanoes at some point in their lives.
"The team has developed and proved a powerful new tool for high-resolution exploration of regional seafloor structure and geophysical processes," said Don Rice, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research. "This capability will allow us to revisit unsolved questions and to pinpoint where to focus future exploratory work."
The data was taken from the European Space Agency's (ESA) CryoSat-2 satellite, which is used primarily to capture polar ice. Information was also taken from NASA's Jason-1 satellite, which has been mapping gravity fields for the past 12 years.
"The kinds of things you can see very clearly are the abyssal hills, the most common landform on the planet," said David Sandwell, lead author of the paper and a geophysicist at SIO.
The new map will contribute to Google's Ocean Maps, and revealed new features such as continental connections across South America and Africa as well as ridges in the gulf of Mexico.
"One of the most important uses will be to improve the estimates of seafloor depth in the 80 percent of the oceans that remain uncharted or [where the sea floor] is buried beneath thick sediment," the authors wrote.
The study was was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and ConocoPhillips.
