0.3 Million Years Old Massive Undersea Landslide In The Great Barrier Reef, 30 Times The size Of Uluru, Australia

Scientists have discovered a gigantic undersea landslide next to the Great barrier reef that is more than 300,000 years old. Evidence of the remaining slip off was found on Australia’s north Queensland coast.

An international research team from the Queensland's James Cook University, University of Granada, University of Sydney, University of Edinburgh and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation found the massive slide while executing a three-dimensional scan on the ancient reefs of the Great barrier reef, through the Queensland. This huge slide is known as The Gloria Knolls Slide that is 30 times bigger than the size of central Australia’s rocky landmark Uluru, almost 32 Km^3. Their research report was first published in the journal of Marine Geology.

Lead researcher Dr. Robin Beaman said in a statement,“It was quite clear that those knolls were the remains of a very large undersea landslide that had occurred some time ago”. It was about 1,350 m (4,430ft) deep from the sea base from where the debris caused a landslide. That place was also accommodated with marine lives.

According to the report by BBC News, the Landslide also triggered Tsunami during that period. Researchers described that event as “Catastrophic collapse”. Beaman and his team found several coral fossils from the knolls. Using the radioactive carbon dating process the team calculated the fossils are around 300,000 years old that truly indicates the actual age of the landslide was even older.

Dr. Beaman explained that the Great Barrier Reef reduced the energy of ocean swell by acting like a giant porous breakwater. Researchers also found several species of marine animals such as Molluscs, gorgonian sea whips, bamboo corals and barnacles and cold water corals from that knolls. Those corals can survive at very cold temperature, even less than four-degree celsius. They don’t need sunlight to live life. Researchers are planning to conduct more research on that site, Dr. Beaman also added that the future research would be more interesting.