Chilean scientist Osvaldo Ulloa, in charge of a mission 8,000 meters below sea level, “where no man has ever been,” found something impressive.
The submarine sank to the depths of the Atacama Trench in Chile, where two tectonic plates join in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Scientists have discovered organisms that have given rise to more questions than answers.
Completed the 1st human descent to the bottom of the Atacama Trench with Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa of Chile. Preliminary maximum depth of 8,062 m. Extraordinary marine life observed: very many holothurians, rock faces showing chemosynthesis, and the largest bacterial tendrils I’ve seen. pic.twitter.com/7IZEyyoAQ4
– Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) January 21, 2022
As soon as they exceeded 100 meters, the light had already disappeared and they relied on the powerful LEDs of the submarine. At the bottom where a new species of sea urchin or cucumber lived, as they are widely known, they saw unique geological formations. The new species were transparent and have never been recorded again.
They also discovered bacterial communities that had threads that scientists did not know existed in the Atacama Trench and that fed on chemical or inorganic components.
This video shows a “pasture” of holothurians (sea cucumbers) grazing at the bottom of the Atacama Trench, near 8,060 meters. This is the most dense collection of holothurians I have ever seen in a Hadal Trench, showing the large volume of life in this deep ocean ecosystem. pic.twitter.com/fDHBC3IY0j
– Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) January 22, 2022
This opened up a lot of questions. What are these ingredients? What kind of bacteria are they?
The mission also found species of amphibians, a type of crustacean that is related to shrimp, which fed on crustaceans, worms and transparent fish.
Continued our dives in the Atacama Trench yesterday with Dr. Ruben Escribano of Chile. Dove to ~ 7,200 meters near the Richards Deep, witnessing growths of ultra-deep ocean coral, Elpidids Peniagone (the small animals), and unknown colors (bacterial matting?) On rock outcroppings. pic.twitter.com/ouM7PuCeEK
– Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) January 24, 2022
“We will put three sensors on the South American tectonic plate and two on the Nazca plate to see how the ocean floor deforms. Such sensors are currently only available on land. It is an extremely ambitious project, it is the largest experiment in underwater geology in Chile. “There is a lot of interest from the international scientific community to put more sensors in this area to study all the processes involved in the collision of these two plates,” Ulloa said.
CBS news
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
