The Hole Story
Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022.
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During Dive 04 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, we observed several sublinear sets of holes in the sediment on the seafloor at a depth of approximately 2,540 meters (1.6 miles). We saw the holes again during Dive 09 a total of four times at depths ranging from approximately 1,440 to 1,500 meters (4,724 to 4,921 feet). During Dive 09, the remotely operated vehicle pilots used the suction sampler to collect sediment from fresher holes. A look at the sediment upon recovery revealed no clues as to what formed the holes. A water sample was also collected during the dive for later processing for environmental DNA (eDNA), to learn more about what may be living in or around the holes.