An underwater research vessel has stumbled upon a gargantuan coral reef, standing like a monolithic tower off the coast of Northern Australia. According to scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, who are conducting a year-long expedition of the ocean around Australia, this newly discovered reef stands more than 500 metres high from base to tip, making it taller than the Empire State Building.
The newly discovered reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef, the single longest coral reef in the world, spanning more than 1,400 miles along the northeastern coast of Australia. This new branch of the massive underwater structure stands freely from the rest of the reef, making it the first detached coral reef discovered in the area in 120 years.