Live Science reports that explorers have discovered a series of mysterious, “perfectly aligned” holes punched into the seafloor roughly 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) beneath the ocean surface, and they have no idea who or what made them.
The alien looking holes were spotted by the crew of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer vessel as they investigated the Mid-Atlantic Ridge — a mostly unexplored region of the seafloor that is part of the world’s largest mountain range.
The holes form a straight line and appear at regularly repeating distances, and they are surrounded by tiny mounds of sediment. This isn’t the first time similar holes have been discovered in the area; two marine scientists from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service also spotted mysterious holes in the ocean floor during a dive in 2004.
“While they look almost human made, the little piles of sediment around the holes make them seem like they were excavated by… something.”
In 2004, scientists proposed that an organism living in or sifting through the seafloor’s sediment made the holes, but because no one has seen such creatures make them, their exact origins are unknown.
Public speculation under the NOAA post’s Facebook page ranged widely — from cracks in the floor’s surface made by escaping gas, to underwater human craft digging for treasure, to ants, aliens and even starfish doing cartwheels.
For more on the alien holes visit Live Science.
Don’t forget to share “Strange Holes in Ocean Floor Have Scientist’s Asking The Public for Help”