The mystery that has guided scientists for decades has finally found its answer. What lies next to the Titanic, near the ocean floor, is an elongated hill-shaped formation at about 2,900 meters deep. Scientists now identify it as a volcanic feature, not a sunken ship, and new research at the site clarifies its nature.
In 1996, a team of researchers led by Paul Herny Nargeolet detected an origin-unknown structure using sonar near the wreck of the Titanic, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Two years later, oceanographer Oisín Fanning confirmed the existence of this feature, naming the element Cresta de Nargeolet-Fanning in honor of the explorers involved.
But it wasn’t until this summer that Nargeolet had the chance to dive to the seabed and study the hill up close. The findings from OceanGate Expeditions confirm the discovery as a geological formation of volcanic origin, likely basaltic rocks lying adjacent to the Titanic. The site hosts a rich ecosystem with corals and other life forms that thrive in extreme depths, a rarity in deep-sea environments.
On sonar, the object could have been mistaken for anything—perhaps debris—so listening to the region and physically exploring it offered a new perspective. Exploring this vast structure and watching a vibrant life community flourish beneath the waves was an extraordinary experience, according to Nargeolet.
Biodiversity explosion at great depth
Steve W. Ross, professor and chief scientist at OceanGate Expeditions, remarked on the striking diversity and density of sponges, bamboo corals, other cold-water corals, lobsters and fish thriving at 2,900 meters in the North Atlantic. He noted that studying this previously unknown ecosystem also enables a comparison between the marine biology around the Titanic and its surrounding waters. The differences and similarities between this natural deep-sea reef and the deep artificial reef associated with the wreck will help scientists better understand deep-sea environments overall, he added.
The presence of biodiversity in the area was a welcomed discovery for the team. Researchers observed how far sponges and corals spread across the ocean floor and are currently running computer simulations to better understand this phenomenon. The team hopes that these unexplored rocky regions will shed light on how such organisms disperse over vast distances on the deep, muddy seabed. They emphasize sharing this information with the scientific community and policymakers so that these sensitive ecosystems receive appropriate attention and protection, according to Murray Roberts, another expedition participant.
Work in the area by OceanGate Expeditions is expected to continue beyond 2023 to further unravel the mysteries of this remarkable underwater ecosystem.
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