February 19, 2021: Lophelia Coral
Image courtesy of Lophelia II 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER/BOEM. Download larger version (jpg, 844 KB).
Lophelia coral growing on the Zinc subsea installation within the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of 457 meters (1,499 feet). Seen during the Lophelia II 2012: Deepwater Platform Corals expedition, which was the final expedition in a four-year research mission to explore and study deepwater or “cold-water” coral communities in the Gulf of Mexico. This expedition was the first dedicated scientific study of deep-sea corals on actively producing oil and gas platforms.
From: A First Date: Radiometric Dating.