Botryoidal Basalt in the Deep Sea

In this highlight video, geologist and Corps of Exploration member Val Finlayson explains a descriptive term you might hear used during our deep-sea exploration. Witnessed thousands of meters deep with the use of remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs), our team noticed a consistently lumpy, grape-like texture across the lava formations. From Dr. Val's lesson, botryoidal is a term describing the surface texture of some ferromanganese crusts. Learn more about the ways geologists describe the deep sea in their continued quest to understand the ancient history of our global ocean.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an atoll-based country of over 1,200 islands surrounded by 2.13 million square kilometers of ocean, the vast majority of which has never been mapped or surveyed. Despite data gaps, it’s known that the deep sea of Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ hosts rich and diverse marine resources, including these amazing animals, over 300 unexplored seamounts, extensive deep-sea ridges, and escarpments. This expedition was developed in collaboration and consultation with the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority and other local stakeholders and funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.