Three new volcanoes discovered in Sicily… and a wreck!

If the path of the coasts is now well known, the ocean floor still remains a world full of mysteries. The underwater landscape is still very poorly mapped, even though modern technological means, especially satellite mapping, are gradually making it possible to better understand what lies beneath the surface of the oceans. More than 19,000 new seamounts have been identified recently. After a new oceanographic expedition to the Mediterranean from July 16 to August 5, 2023, we should add three more.

Three new volcanoes are definitely dormant

There have actually been three volcanic edifices discovered off the coast of Sicily. With a diameter of at least six kilometers and a height of 150 metres, these are medium-sized volcanoes. For the time being, doubt remains as to whether or not these are active volcanoes, even though hydrothermal activity has been detected. Analysis of seismic profiles and samples of volcanic rocks taken from the ocean floor should answer this question in the coming months.

However, for Professor Aaron Micallef, deputy head of the scientific expedition, it is unlikely that these volcanoes are active at the present time. However, this in no way diminishes the interest of the discovery, which in 2019 adds to the identification of a whole range of volcanoes in the region, including Mazara. ofof Vallo and Sciacca on the west coast of Sicily. These new observations will make it possible to better understand the particularly rich volcanic history of the region.

Discovery of a new shipwreck

As a bonus, the scientists were surprised to see what appears to be a debris field at the bottom. For the time being, no one yet knows who this old ship is, which is still 100 meters long and 17 meters wide, or when it is from.