The middle of a desert is high up on the list of places where you won't find a coral reef. Yet! The ancient coral reef's remains show that the world is full of surprises.
The Australian Nullarbor Plain, a hot, flat expanse with no easily distinguishable geological features, is actually the clear remnant of an original sea-bed structure, according to an international team of researchers.
The location of a "ring-shaped 'hill'" hidden in plain sight and revealed by off-world imagery was central to the fascinating study. The findings of the field studies show that the Nullarbor Plain was once covered by a tropical ocean 14 million years ago.
Milo Barham said in the press release that the ring-shaped "hill" can't be explained by extra-terrestrial impact or any known processes.
According to the researchers, the Nullarbor Plain is a great place for geological study as it has been relatively unscathed by erosion. The whole region is like a giant fossil.
Large areas of the Nullarbor Plain have remained largely unchanged by weathering and erosion over millions of years, making it a unique geological canvas recording ancient history.
"These features, in conjunction with the millions of years old landscape feature we have now identified, make the NullarBOR Plain a land that time forgot and allow a fascinating deeper understanding of Earth's history," he said.
The Nullarbor Plain would probably say something similar to the classic: don't judge a book by it's cover. A potent reminder of how much our Earth has changed through its many thousands of years can be found in this Australian desert.
A 4,000-foot coral reef has been found in the middle of the desert.
There's more on coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef made a huge comeback.
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