The ocean is a deep, dark place. We have only explored 5 percent of our oceans and have found the most unexpected, yet informative things. What are those things? Take a look; we have saved the best for the last!
1. City of Atlit Yam
Have you heard of a city under the sea? Well, listen to this.
In 1984, an ancient city, Atlit Yam, from the Neolithic era, was discovered off the coast of Atlit, Israel, in the Mediterranean Sea.
The most intriguing feature of this submerged city is the 10-acre stone circle, which has been interpreted by historians to have been a ritual site.
While, such a city is unimaginable, it has allowed current civilization to learn a lot from its past. It revealed more and more about the life of those who occupied it. They hunted and raised animals, they used water wells and made stone walls to store waters.
2. Black smokers
Have you ever imagined a chimney under the sea? Well, start imagining.
Scientists have recently discovered chimney-like structures under water. These structures are black hydrothermal vents that spew out a mixture of chemicals, which include hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. These fluids reach a temperature of 370 degrees celsius or may even go higher.
These vents are found in many parts of our oceans and scientists have recently discovered them in their northern most location, in the Arctic Circle. The vents are in clusters, where one towers the other. The tallest vent is almost four stories high.
While finding vents in such locations has come as a total surprise to researchers, because such formations do not take place in areas where tectonic plates spread slowly, it has led to an interesting finding – that anything and everything is possible inside the deep ocean.
3. Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon
The water of Truk lagoon, now also called Chuuk Lagoon, seems peaceful on the surface, but it is not. Underneath it, lies the world’s biggest graveyard of ships. This ‘ghost fleet’ became famous after it became the subject of Jacques Cousteau’s film in 1969.
Chuuk lagoon, located in the Caroline Islands, in the Pacific Ocean was the main base of Japanese fleet in World War II. America’s attack on the Japanese ships left around 60 warships and countless aircrafts on the floor of the lagoon. The site is partially visible from the surface of the water.
Till today, the Japanese still pay their respects to those buried in the sea by going to the lagoon as many claim that the dead bodies still lay there.
As creepy as this might sound or look, the ‘ghost fleet’ has offered a chance to many scuba divers and historians to take a glance into the past.
4. The Great Belize Hole
You do not want to dive into this hole!
This great hole, found off the coast of Belize, 62 miles from the mainland, is the world’s largest natural sinkhole ever discovered. This phenomenal feature is 300 meters across and 125 meters deep.
The uniqueness of the hole, which was created eons ago during the last ice age, has now become a famous attraction where scuba divers and thrill seekers flock to see geological changes that take inside the deep blue hole.
