A recent expedition in Sicily discovered three huge underwater volcanoes and the wreckage of a sunken ship over 300 feet below the water's surface. The excavation lasted for over two weeks.
M191 SUAVE Excavation Discovered Three Underwater Volcanoes
Scientists aboard the German vessel Meteor in the Mediterranean Sea went on an expedition from July 16 to Aug 5. The expedition dubbed M191 SUAVE included an international team who explored various regions in the Sicilian Channel - the strait between Sicily island and the North African nation of Tunisia, Newsweek reported.
The largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily, is situated close to the "toe" of Italy's boot-shaped country. The researchers reconstructed the seabed's structure in excellent resolution using sonar techniques.
To find anomalies connected to underwater volcanic formations, the researchers also used a magnetometer, a device made to monitor the strength and occasionally direction of magnetic fields. Using high-resolution seismic techniques, they then observed the geological features of the first few dozen feet beneath the seafloor.
By combining these techniques, scientists could detect the three previously undiscovered volcanoes off the southern coast of Sicily.
The Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) released a statement detailing the volcanoes' dimensions, which are at least 3.5 miles broad and rise more than 490 feet above the surrounding seafloor.
According to the institute, the volcanoes are part of a group of other volcanic cones that the OGS found in 2019. Additionally, thanks to a seabed mapping survey, the scientific team, which included scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California, among other organizations, was able to locate the sunken ship.
The aforementioned vessel is roughly 330 feet long and 56 feet broad. Around 100 miles to the south, at a depth of around 360 feet, it is approximately midway between Sicily and the little Italian island of Linosa.
The scientific team gathered rock samples from several undersea volcanoes, some already known due to other research.
Results Essential in Reconstructing Geological History
Researchers will examine the samples in the upcoming months to provide details regarding the age of the volcanoes and the peculiarities of the magma that feeds them.
According to Giulia Matilde Ferrante, another OGS researcher who participated in the expedition, this information will be crucial for reconstructing the geological history of one of the most complex regions of the central Mediterranean where, beginning around 4 to 5 million years ago, a system of deep pits developed linked to tectonic processes.
The most recent studies have also shown several substantial flaws in the region's previous bathymetric maps. These offer the ocean's and sea floor's submerged features.
In particular, the scientists discovered that certain submerged reliefs falsely identified as seamounts-vast, subaerial volcanoes- do not exist.
The OGS researchers Dario Civile and Emanuele Lodolo said the results showed how the high-resolution mapping of the seabed is fundamental and a priority not only for basic knowledge but also for more practical aspects.
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