It is a surprising find. An international group of scientists discovered it. There are more than 100 new species that live in the seamounts off the Chilean coast. The treasure of species discovered in Chile amazes biologists.
The recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition was led by Professor Javier Sellanes. He identified new deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, lobsters and other species.
Mountains under the sea
They explored the seamounts along the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges. Collect data that could support the designation of an international marine protected area on the high seas.
The Salas y Gómez Mountain Range is an underwater mountain range 2,900 kilometers long. It includes more than 200 seamounts that extend from the coast of Chile to Easter Island. Most of the ridge exists outside Chilean jurisdiction. During the expedition, scientists used an underwater robot. He descended to depths of 4,500 meters to collect data. Each seamount was home to different ecosystems, many of which are vulnerable. There were thriving deep-water coral reefs and sponge gardens. Scientists are analyzing the physiology and genetics of the specimens they suspect are new to science.
The treasure of species discovered in Chile extended towards the Pacific. Experts aboard the ship mapped 52,777 square kilometers of seafloor. The fourth seamount, the highest mountain at 3,530 meters, was explored for the first time.
New dive
«We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition. You always hope to find new species in these remote and underexplored areas. But the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mind-blowing,” Sellanes said in a statement.
A second expedition began aboard the research vessel Falkor on 24 February. The underwater dives will be broadcast live on the Schmidt Ocean Institute YouTube channel. Scientists explore areas more than 600 meters deep for the first time. Schmidt Ocean Institute will operate in the Southeast Pacific, exploring the waters off Peru and Chile throughout 2024.
