Road to Atlantis? Pacific’s Underwater 'Yellow Brick Road' That Looks Like Dry Bricks Discovered

A comprehensive underwater voyage discovered a never-before-seen structure laid out across a deep-sea ridge of the Pacific. The unusual oceanic formation, which looks like a man-made pavement, was dubbed the 'ýellow brick road.'

Yellow Brick Road in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Spotted by Nautilus Underwater Vehicle

The ancient structure has features that are seemingly dried out due to age. The pavement also has noticeable patterns of bricks used in walls and old roads in early history. The yellow brick road was found embedded under the water bodies of the northern Hawaiian Islands.

Experts first encountered the stunningly mysterious seabed road aboard the exploration vessel Nautilus. The research is part of a wider survey project over the Liliʻuokalani ridge, just within the perimeters of the popular Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument or PMNM.

The marine monument is considered one of the biggest marine areas conserved throughout the planet. The PMNM has an area that covers the combined sizes of national parks located in the United States. Due to its massive domain, scientific studies have only covered three percent of Papahānaumokuākea's total seafloor.

The conservation efforts and research being held at the PMNM are possible through the help of experts at the Ocean Exploration Trust. The underwater area holds an unexplored wilderness located over 3,000 meters below sea level.

The explorations carried out by the team could be watched by the public through the organization's portals and social media platforms.

Ocean Exploration Project's 2022 Nautilus Expedition on the Pacific

The Nautilus project relay daily updates through live footage of the exploration. The deep-sea documentation is constantly published on the team's YouTube channel.

Experts stumbled upon the yellow brick road in one of their lives, and they could not help but compare the structure to the popular pavement throughout the fictional kingdom of Oz. Others jokingly said it might be the road to another fictional place popularly known as Atlantis.

The yellow brick road was located on the Liliʻuokalani ridge's summits known as the Nootka seamount. The bed, which had the striking appearance of colonial walkways and roads, looked like a separate 'baked' crust due to its dryness.

The team behind the Nautilus vehicle explained in one of their videos that the unique appearance of the brick-like fractures is likely associated with the area's constant heating and cooling process brought by subsequent eruptions, reports Science Alert.

The E/V Nautilus is a modern innovation that could help us go through impossible journeys in previous studies. The first-ever sighting of the bizarre yellow brick road under the waters of the Pacific Ocean is a marker of the technology's effectiveness.

The 2022 E/V Nautilus expedition will cover other deep-sea areas of Hawaii's aquatic regions throughout the year. Projects with the marine vehicle are available on the Nautilus official website.

Check out more news and information on Ocean in Science Times.