A staggering feat of nature has been discovered beneath the waters of Guatemala: a giant underwater mountain taller than the world’s tallest building. The seamount rises over two miles off the ocean floor and is evidence of an incredibly powerful seismic event.
At a height of over half a mile tall, the new seamount towers over the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 2,717 feet. Discovered by a team of researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) and The University of New Hampshire (UNH), the massive formation—which is still unnamed—holds the record as the world’s tallest seamount.
The team used high-resolution bathymetric (underwater terrain) mapping combined with high-resolution seismic imaging to uncover the massive structure, which was over twice as tall as they had estimated. In addition, the team found two other, smaller seamounts nearby.
This discovery was possible because the majority of the giant seamount is formed of igneous rock, which is resistant to natural erosion unlike the softer sedimentary rock that made up the surrounding seafloor. According to USF researchers, the seamounts were probably formed over millions of years during a period of intense seismic activity.
The formation gives us insight into the wonders of nature and adds to the list of stunning geologic structures that have been glimpsed beneath the ocean’s surface. We can be sure that the research team will be keeping a close eye on the area to uncover more secrets of the ancient geological history that may lay hidden within the depths of the seafloor.
The subsurface composition of the seamounts and their implications to the geological history of the region remain largely a mystery, but this discovery will serve as the jumping-off point for future research in the area.