Off the coast of Central California there is a huge line of business of unknown orbitual structures line the sea base , created in prehistorical fourth dimension and still visible today .
Known as the Sur Pockmark Field , the Los Angeles - sized surface area is master of ceremonies to more than 5,200 circular depression , each around 200 time ( 656 foot ) across and five meters ( 16 feet ) deep . Similar pockmarks have been found around the human beings , and are thought to be formed and subsequently maintained by methane gas , bubble its way up through the sediment at the bottom of the ocean .
That was of business organisation for possible developers looking to place an seaward fart farm in the country , with worries that methane could affect the seafloor ’s constancy . But taking a closer look at the Sur Pockmark Field , a team of researchers from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute ( MBARI ) , the United States Geological Survey ( USGS ) , and Stanford University found something odder ; there was no evidence of methane at the internet site at all .
" There are many unreciprocated questions about the seafloor and its processes , " MBARI Senior Research Technician Eve Lundsten , who top this employment , said in astatement . " This research provide important data about the seafloor for imagination managers and others considering possible seaward sites for submersed infrastructure to steer their decision - qualification . "
The squad used subaqueous drones to map out over 300 of the pockmarks , which are five metre cryptical on average , but can reach up to ten times that depth . As well as this , they took over 500 sediment samples found in and around 5 of the pockmark , none of which were plant to check any methane .
So , what is make these unusual prehistoric formation ? According to the team , the mark are the result of deposit sobriety flows .
" The subsurface profiles and deposit sample indicated that the pockmarks contain layers of fine sediment deposited slowly over time jump with sandy layers deposited by declamatory sediment flows . These flow look to gnaw at the pockmark centers , and leave behind regionally uninterrupted sandy deposit ( turbidites ) . Some deposit flows have get sufficient erosion to the pockmark flank to simultaneously careen the position of multiple pockmark , X of km apart , " the squad explain in their paper .
" Most of the pockmarks are not willy-nilly spread out or bunch up on the seafloor but are distributed in a regular , equally space rule . We theorise that intermittent , unimprisoned deposit gravity flows occurring over at least the last 280,000 age are the source of the regionally uninterrupted turbidites and the mechanism that maintained the on a regular basis spaced pockmarks over time . "
While interesting in its own rightfield , the finding is good news for idle words farm developer in the expanse .
" expand renewable energy is vital to achieving the dramatic cuts in carbon dioxide emissions need to prevent further irreversible mood modification . However , there are still many unanswered questions about the possible environmental impacts of seaward wind vigour development , " MBARI President and CEO Chris Scholin added . " This research is one of many ways that MBARI researchers are answer fundamental questions about our sea to help inform decisions about how we use marine resources . "
The study is published in theJournal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface .
