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Today in news best suited for sneaky little Hobbitses and Shire - kinfolk , scientist uncover a map of a faraway volcanic realm that has a distinct look ofMordorabout it . Unfortunately for any ringing holder , the molten landscape painting has belike been hidden underwater for one thousand thousand of long time .
The " Tolkienesque " region ofsubmarine volcanoesburied beneath the ocean in the south of Australia was get a line by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia , the University of Aberdeen in Scotland , and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization ( CSIRO ) in Australia . The team engage 3D seismic reflection , a geo - chromosome mapping proficiency that expend seismal wave to quantify subsurface social organisation . With this technology , the researchers place 26 separate volcanoes bury or so 820 feet ( 250 meters ) beneath seabed deposit . Some of the ancient volcano reach up to 2,000 feet ( 625 m ) in height and are surrounded by several lava feature never before study underwater , the study said .
Researchers discovered 26 underwater volcanoes that date to 35 million years ago near Australia.
" The technology we have used is similar in many ways to what is used to produce echography images of babies , but for the Earth , " cogitation author Nick Schofield , a senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen ’s School of Geosciences , articulate in astatementreleased Wednesday ( Jan. 17 ) . " By using this technique , we have a unique insight into a landscape that has remain hide for millions of years . " [ Dark H2O : The World ’s Most Mysterious Places on The Seas ]
In the cogitation , which was published in the November 2017 variant of theAmerican Geophysical Union ’s journalGeochemistry , Geophysics , Geosystems , researcher dated thevolcanoesto the Eocene date of reference , which took blank space or so 50 million to 33 million years ago . The connection of remarkablelava flowssurrounding the volcano — known jointly as the Bight Basin Igneous Complex — was probably created during an undersea eruption some 35 million years ago , the study said .
" By using data acquired as part of oil - exploration efforts , we have been able-bodied to represent these ancient lava rate of flow in unprecedented detail , " Schofield said . From this seismal data , the researcher determined that some of the ancient lava stream measure more than 21 miles ( 34 kilometers ) long and 9 miles ( 15 kilometer ) astray .
Across these miles of terrain , the flowing branch into footpath , arise into plateau , plunge into deep and spread out into elliptical - molded " island " of hardened lava . Researchers compared these island to state - based lava feature article known as " kipukas , " insulate hills or plot of ground of slightly lofty land that become completely encircled by lava after eruptions . characteristic like these have never been describe by underwater seismal data before , the study said , so this new discipline gives researchers a fresh aspect at the behavior of submarine eruptions .
At press prison term , noNazgûlwere observed patrol the volcanoes .
Originally published onLive Science .
