During Dive 06 of Windows to the Deep 2021, we came across a boulder that was more than 8 meters (26 feet) tall and showed geologic layering, presumably carbonate layering of the Blake Plateau. The science team hypothesized that the boulder likely broke off the upper slope and slid down, consistent with literature detailing “scarp retreat” as strong southward flowing currents at the base of the Blake Spur sculpt this underwater feature rising more than one mile from the abyssal plain.
Large Boulder
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.
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During Dive 06 of Windows to the Deep 2021, we came across a boulder that was more than 8 meters (26 feet) tall and showed geologic layering, presumably carbonate layering of the Blake Plateau. The science team hypothesized that the boulder likely broke off the upper slope and slid down, consistent with literature detailing “scarp retreat” as strong southward flowing currents at the base of the Blake Spur sculpt this underwater feature rising more than one mile from the abyssal plain.