The 7km Abyss Deep Under the Ocean

It is a terrifying abyss, 7km deep.

Now, geologists have for the first time seen and documented the Banda Detachment fault in eastern Indonesia – and worked out how it formed.

It could lead to a breakthrough in tsunami prediction for the area, which is part of the Ring of Fire – an area around the Pacific Ocean basin known for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Geologists have for the first time seen and documented the Banda Detachment fault in eastern Indonesia – and worked out how it formed.

Lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Pownall from The Australian National University (ANU) said the find will help researchers assess dangers of future tsunamis in the area.

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‘The abyss has been known for 90 years but until now no one has been able to explain how it got so deep,’ he said.

This fault, the Banda Detachment, represents a rip in the ocean floor exposed over 60,000 square kilometers.

‘Our research found that a 7 km-deep abyss beneath the Banda Sea off eastern Indonesia was formed by extension along what might be Earth’s largest-identified exposed fault plane.’

By analyzing high-resolution maps of the Banda Sea floor, geologists from ANU and Royal Holloway University of London found the rocks flooring the seas are cut by hundreds of straight parallel scars.

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