Researchers discover giant underwater mountain, twice as big as world’s tallest building

The researchers, in a major discovery, found a massive underwater mountain, also known as a seamount, on the Pacific Ocean's floor off the coast of Guatemala.

The seamount is likely to be a remnant of an extinct volcano, similar to other seamounts, as per the NOAA Ocean Exploration, which is a federal programme and part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The seamount found is 1,600 metres (5,249 feet) tall, which is nearly twice the height of Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the world's tallest building, as per the press release issued by nonprofit organisation Schmidt Ocean Institute which carried out advanced oceanographic research.

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The discovery of the massive mountain, which covers 14 square kilometres (5.4 square miles) and is located 2,400 metres (7,874 feet) below sea level, took place in July during an SOI expedition, which is part of the efforts of the institute to further explore the ocean with the use of a research vessel known as Falkor (too).

The ship has been designed for mapping the seafloor with the use of a multibeam echosounder that sends out sound waves to the ocean floor in a fan-shaped pattern and then measures the time which is taken by the sound to touch the ocean floor and return.

Hydrographer and marine technician with the Schmidt Ocean Institute Tomer Ketter, who was also present on board, said that the seamount was not in any database that measures ocean depths, including the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans.

More than 100,000 seamounts still undiscovered

In a press release, the executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute Dr Jyotika Virmani said, “A seamount over 1.5 kilometres tall which has, until now, been hidden under the waves really highlights how much we have yet to discover.”

“A complete seafloor map is a fundamental element of understanding our Ocean so it’s exciting to be living in an era where technology allows us to map and see these amazing parts of our planet for the first time,” she added.

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The researchers discovered the seamount 84 nautical miles outside the Guatemalan Exclusive Economic Zone.

According to NOAA, there are more than 100,000 seamounts which are taller than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) in the world, however, till now less than one-tenth of a per cent has been explored.

“Seamounts have been explored only relatively recently due to the advent of human-occupied submersibles and very capable remotely operated vehicles (ROVs),” stated Les Watling, an emeritus biology professor with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, via email, as reported by CNN.

(With inputs from agencies)