Scientists have uncovered a rare 800 metre underwater cliff off far north Queensland which could reveal the ancient past of the area.
The cliff was found during a recent expedition by one of Germany's largest research ships, the RV Sonne, which made a 3D map of 18,000 kilometres of the northern Coral Sea.
"It's really striking and unusual," James Cook University researcher Dr Robin Beaman, who has been studying the maps, said.
The cliff is located about 130km northeast of Cooktown on Cape York and runs 30km along the Queensland Plateau - a large submarine plateau off the eastern side of the state.
The top of the cliff lies 1800 metres below sea level and drops 2600m vertically into the Queensland Trough.
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It's thought the cliff could record the layers of coral growth that formed on the Queensland Plateau before it subsided to its present depth over the past several million years.
"It's like a road cutting, when you drive through you can see the layers of the rock, but it's like a giant version of that," Dr Beaman said.
"We're very keen to go and have a look at it and study it."
It's likely the cliff will be home to an array of marine life.
The RV Sonne also mapped and collected samples from the seafloor of enormous canyons that border the Great Barrier Reef.
Sediments from the reef have been deposited in these areas over millions of years, so the samples could provide insight into the reef's history.
"Examining sediment cores is much like looking at tree rings to understand the changes to the environment during the life of a tree," Dr Beaman said.
He says it will also reveal the effects of climate change.
Dr Beaman says mapping the area will help scientists better understand the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef and ensure it's effectively protected.
"It shows there is still much to discover about the deep environments of the Coral Sea."
