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I'm always fascinated by that fact that despite the immense amount of observations we have carried out on our planet (especially during the satellite age), the

I'm always fascinated by that fact that despite the immense amount of observations we have carried out on our planet (especially during the satellite age), the ocean is still largely uncharted in detail. The discovery of the Muirfield Seamount [1] is a great story. A cargo ship is steaming through the Indian Ocean in waters charted at 5,000 meters depth, and suddently it hits a previously unknown submarine mountain where the summit extends to 16-18 meters below the sea. And apparently no one had discovered it prior 1973, when that cargo ship hit it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muirfield_Seamount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muirfield_Seamount

thombat 6y ago
A similar case with a telling difference is Anchorite Rock in NZ's Hauraki Gulf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Anchorite_(P422)#Service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Anchorite_(P422)#Service The difference being that this rock was already known by some local fishermen, who had allegedly refrained from informing the Hydrography Office because it was an excellent and little-known fishing ground. (jokingly) lacking patent protection for fishing spots, they opted for a trade secret.