Scientists exploring the depths of the Red Sea have discovered natural death traps on the seafloor.
They found brine pools nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Aqaba, which are up to 10 times saltier than normal seawater and lack of oxygen, essentially killing all life that enters inside.
Researchers speculated that these extreme environments mimic the harsh conditions of early Earth, particularly in the deep sea where life may have first emerged.
Brine pools are rare, with only about 40 ever discovered in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the newly named Gulf of America.
The team noted that the pools also act as geological capsules, preserving records of the Gulf of Aqaba’s past due to the undisturbed sediment.
They will be able to see information on tsunamis, flash floods, and earthquakes in the region that took place thousands of years ago.
The brine pools were found in a region of the Red Sea believed to be where Moses parted the waters while leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.
‘The NEOM Brine Pools, as we name them, extend the known geographical range of Red Sea brine pools, and represent a unique preservational environment for the sedimentary signals of regional climatic and tectonic events,’ the researchers said.
Scientists have discovered four brine pools nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea
Since this brine is so dense, it sits at the bottom of the ocean and cannot easily mix with the surrounding salt water
The Gulf of Aqaba is considered mysterious due to its unique geological features, including extreme depths, volcanic activity, and unusual temperature variations at depth.
The region is an elongated strip of the Red Sea that separates the Egyptian Sinai from Saudi Arabia and some experts believe it is where Moses parted the waters while leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.
That is because the Gulf of Aqaba is deeper and wider than other regions of the Red Sea, which could align with the story of Moses in the Book of Exodus.
The Bible also shares how the Israelites traveling through the wilderness before reaching the sea, and some routes near Aqaba may fit the description.
But scientists from the University of Miami uncovered another enigma while exploring the depths with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) for six weeks.
Professor Sam Purkis said: ‘We were very lucky. The discovery came in the last five minutes of the ten-hour ROV dive that we could dedicate to this project.’
The ROV spotted a ‘desolate seabed thickly draped with mud’ in those final minutes, leading researchers to the brine pools.
Since this brine is so dense, it sits at the bottom of the ocean and cannot easily mix with the surrounding salt water.
In places where the saltwater wells up from the ground, ‘brine pools’ can form strange underwater lakes and ponds
The parting of the Red Sea appears in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of The Bible
In places where the saltwater wells up from the ground, ‘brine pools’ can form strange underwater lakes and ponds.
While most lifeforms would perish the moment they floated inside, scientists spotted extremophile prokaryotes thriving.
These are single-celled organisms that live in extreme environments with conditions like high temperature, pressure, salinity, acidity or radiation.
The team also found sulfate-reducing bacteria, which turn sulfate into energy.
Scientists found these bacteria have reduced sulfate levels so much in the Gulf of Aqaba that the ratio of sulfate to chloride in the brine is the lowest ever recorded in the area.
This means the bacteria are playing a big role in changing the water’s chemical makeup.
While most creatures cannot live in the pools, many linger near them due to the bacteria creating food sources for them. The team spotted eels, shrimp and mollusks nearby.
The team also believes the pools could offer clues to life on other planets, they shared in the study.
Purkis told Live Science: ‘Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic — without oxygen — conditions.
Deep-sea brine pools are a great analog for the early Earth and, despite being devoid of oxygen and hypersaline, are teeming with a rich community of so-called ‘extremophile’ microbes.
‘Studying this community hence allows a glimpse into the sort of conditions where life first appeared on our planet, and might guide the search for life on other ‘water worlds’ in our solar system and beyond.’
The team took core sample from the pools that represented ‘an unbroken record of past rainfall in the region, stretching back more than 1,000 years, plus records of earthquakes and tsunami,’ Purkis said.
The findings painted a picture of weather events over the last 1,000 years, showing major floods from rain ‘occur about once every 25 years, and tsunamis [take place] about once every 100 years.’
