A 'yellow brick road' beneath the Pacific Ocean traced to ancient volcanic activity

A strange formation resembling a yellow brick road was discovered on the Pacific Ocean floor during an expedition by the Ocean Exploration Trust’s research vessel E/V Nautilus. The structure was found at a depth of 1,029 metres near Nootka Seamount, within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Its unusually regular pattern made it resemble a brick sidewalk, but scientists identified it as a natural geological formation.According to a report published by The Oceanography Society on the Ocean Exploration Trust’s 2022 field season, the formation likely consists of fractured hyaloclastite, a type of volcanic rock created when hot magma meets cold water. Researchers suggested that its yellow colour likely resulted from low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of the volcanic glass.Scientists spotted a yellow brick road 1,029 metres beneath the PacificThe unusual pattern was observed during an E/V Nautilus expedition in the Pacific.

The formation lay at a depth of 1,029 metres near Nootka Seamount, inside Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.