
Scientists have found 26 submarine volcanoes near Australia that resemble the fictional kingdom of Mordor.
Scientists have discovered 26 underwater volcanoes up to 35 million years old near Australia, and the topographical map they have released resembles the fictional realm of Mordor from the Lord of the Rings. This Tolkienesque place is located south of Australia deep under the sea, where it was recently located by researchers from Australia and Scotland.
They used 3D seismic reflection to spot the more than two dozen volcanoes, which averaged about 820 feet or 250 meters underneath the sediment on the seabed. Some of the volcanoes were up 2,000 feet in height and had distinct features indicating lava flows that scientists had never seen before.
The study, which was published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, determined that the volcanoes were created during the Eocene epoch between 50 and 33 million years ago. The undersea eruption that created the lava flows on the volcanoes probably happened about 35 million years ago.
“Scientists from the University of Aberdeen have used cutting-edge imaging techniques to reveal a spectacular ‘Tolkienesque’ landscape buried deep beneath the sea off southern Australia,” reads a statement from the University of Aberdeen. “Researchers have likened the hidden volcanic landscape to illustrations of the evil realm of Mordor in Lord of the Rings, with jagged peaks and outcrops that have never been seen before now.”
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