'Eye of Sauron' volcano and other deep-sea structures discovered in underwater 'Mordor'

[Judi Lynn]

By Harry Baker - Staff Writer about 12 hours ago

It is one of several discoveries named after "The Lord of the Rings."



A 3D map of the caldera known as the 'Eye of Sauron'. (Image credit: 3D imagery courtesy of CSIRO/MNF, GSM)
Researchers exploring the Indian Ocean have discovered the remains of a collapsed underwater volcano with an uncanny resemblance to the all-seeing "Eye of Sauron" from J.R.R. Tolkien's famous fantasy series "The Lord of the Rings," as well as two other seafloor structures named after places in Tolkien's Middle-earth.

The eye is actually an oval-shaped depression measuring 3.9 miles (6.2 kilometers) long by 3 miles (4.8 km) wide. Called a caldera, this giant divot is left over from the ancient collapse of a deep-sea volcano. The caldera is surrounded by a 984-foot-tall (300 meters) rim, giving the impression of eyelids, and an equally tall cone-shaped peak at the center, which looks like a pupil, according to The Conversation. The unusual structure is located 174 miles (280 km) southeast of Christmas Island ― an Australian external territory off mainland Australia ― at a depth of 10,170 feet (3,100 m).

A team of researchers discovered the structure while onboard the ocean research vessel Investigator, owned by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), on the 12th day of an expedition to Australia's Indian Ocean Territories. The researchers used multibeam sonar to create 3D maps of the caldera and the surrounding seafloor.

Like other calderas, this one formed when the peak of the original volcano collapsed, according to the researchers.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/eye-of-sauron-deep-sea-volcano.html

[spike jones]

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