Three large underwater volcanoes and a 100-metre shipwreck have been discovered off Sicily’s south-west coast by a team of researchers that included scientists from the University of Malta.
The volcanoes are at least six kilometres wide and extend up to 150 metres above the seabed. They share the area with several smaller volcanoes that last erupted in 1831.
An image of one of the volcanoes discovered on the seabed. Photo: Aaron Micallef/X (Twitter).High-resolution mapping also revealed a 100 metres long by 17 metres wide shipwreck on the ocean floor at a depth of 110 metres.
The wreck is located approximately halfway between Sicily and Linosa, an Italian island west of Malta.
Its position was reported to Italian authorities. No details have been given so far.
The discoveries were made during a three-week expedition onboard the German research vessel Meteor, involving scientists from ocean research centres in Germany, Italy and the USA and universities in Malta, UK, New Zealand and Germany.
The team of scientists. Photo: Jacqueline Grech Licari/X (Twitter).The co-chief scientist for the expedition, University of Malta professor and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute scientist Aaron Micallef said the expedition had improved understanding of natural hazards in the central Mediterranean.
“I think it is impressive that we are still discovering unknown geological features in European waters. It shows how poorly understood our seafloor still is,” he said.
Sonar and magnetic-based measuring equipment was used for the mapping, which also included hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. Such vents are cracks in the seabed from which geothermally heated water erupts. Their surroundings are frequently rich with mineral deposits and microorganisms.
Lava samples were collected for testing to determine the age of the volcanoes and to better understand their structure and the history of what the team called “one of the most complex regions in the Mediterranean Sea.”
Lava samples collected from the seabed. Photo: Jacqueline Grech Licari/X (Twitter).Scientists from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Monterey Bay Aquariam Research Institute (MBARI) and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) took part in the project.
They were joined by those from the Victoria University of Wellington (NZ) and the Universities of Malta, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Kiel and Oxford.
Jörg Geldmacher from GEOMAR and chief scientist of the expedition said: “These surprising discoveries are interesting but as a geochemist I am more excited about the excellent igneous rock samples that we managed to retrieve.”