Coral reef taller than Empire State building, discovered in Australia
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia's Coral Sea is known to be the world's largest coral reef system comprising over 2,900 individual reefs. Recently, a group of Australian scientists and the Schmidt Ocean Institute made an astounding discovery when they found a detached skyscraper coral reef, which is taller than the Empire State building.
A beautiful spot in the newfound coral reef / Source: @SchmidtOcean (FB)
The massive vertical coral reef measures more than 500 meters high, which makes it taller than the Empire State building in New York, whose height is said to be around 443 meters to its tip.
The coral reef is said to be taller than the Empire State building / Source: @SchmidtOcean (FB)
The newly discovered reef was found during a 3D seabed mapping exercise conducted by a research vessel, the Falkor, which is owned by Schmidt Ocean Institute, a Californian non-profit foundation founded by Eric Schimdt, former chairman of Google.
The Falkor is used by scientists for research expeditions at no cost. It is equipped with a suite of the most advanced multibeam sonar systems that are used for seafloor mapping.
Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, The Falkor / Source: @SchmidtOcean (FB)
It also has a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named SuBastian, which is used to get real-time video underwater and to collect samples of the environment. They even used the ROV to live stream the incredible discovery on YouTube.
ROV SuBastian / Source: @SchmidtOcean (FB)
According to Tom Bridge, the principal investigator of the expedition, the base of the giant detached coral reef was 1.5 kilometers wide and rose half a kilometer to within 40 meters of the surface.
The discovery is considered to be the first large detached reef found in the Great Barrier Reef in more than 120 years.
Previously, only seven others have been identified within the 150-kilometer stretch of the ocean.
Moreover, the good news is that the newfound coral reef is actually teeming with life. ROV SuBastian revealed that the colossal blade-like reef is home to plenty of fishes like the hatchet fish, silvertip, and grey reef sharks.
It also has an abundance of sponges, sea fans, and soft corals, which suggests that the area is rich in nutrients.
Some of the sea creatures spotted in the coral reef /Source: @SchmidtOcean (FB)
Aside from the huge detached coral reef, the team also earlier found what could be the longest recorded sea creature: a 150-feet long siphonophore. They spotted it in a canyon off the Ningaloo coast in northern Western Australia.
They also discovered other unidentified species of black coral, sponges and scorpionfish.
Scientists aboard The Falkor are on a year-long ocean exploration mission in Australia and they plan to continue mapping the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef until mid-November this year.
The remarkable discovery is expected to lead to years of study on the newfound giant coral reef.
You can watch Schmidt Ocean Institute's video of the newly discovered coral reef below.
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