BC Cook
IT is not too often that we get to use this column’s heading. “A new mountain?” you ask. But wait. This mountain was found in a most private spot. The following information appears courtesy of The Maritime Executive:
“A team of researchers with the Schmidt Ocean Institute has discovered a giant seamount previously unknown to the public, located about 280 nautical miles off the coast of Guatemala. It measures about a mile high, and judging by the age of the seafloor around it, it may have been there for millions of years without anyone reporting its existence.
“The research vessel Falkor was under way from Costa Rica to the East Pacific Rise when it stumbled upon the seamount with its sonar. The science crew’s hydrographic expert confirmed that the seamount is not in any seafloor bathymetric database. The find was an unintentional and remarkable illustration of how many secrets the ocean still contains, according to the institute.
“ ‘A seamount over 1.5 kilometers tall which has, until now, been hidden under the waves really highlights how much we have yet to discover,’ said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of SOI. ‘A complete seafloor map is a fundamental element of understanding our ocean so it’s exciting to be living in an era where technology allows us to map and see these amazing parts of our planet for the first time!’
“Since this March, Falkor has discovered two more uncharted seamounts off the Galápagos Islands, three new hydrothermal vent fields, and two cold-water coral reefs.
“ ‘On every expedition, those aboard Falkor have found the unexpected, the awe-inspiring, the new,’ said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder and president of Schmidt Ocean Institute. ‘While there is so much we’ve come to understand as discoveries tumble ever faster into view, so much remains unknown…and we are thrilled to continue exploring.’
“As of 2023, the world’s oceanographic community has built a public map of almost one quarter of the seafloor at a resolution of 100 square meters or better. Over the last 10 years, the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s surveys have contributed about 1.4 million square kilometers of data and 20 previously-unknown underwater features to the effort. A coordinating body, Seafloor 2030, hopes to achieve 100-percent coverage by the end of the decade.”
Just when we thought there was nothing left for explorers and discoverers to do, we find a mountain. Ferdinand Magellan and Neil Armstrong would be so proud.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for over 30 years. He is a director and historian at Sealark Exploration.
