Scientists Discover Pristine Coral Reef Teeming with Life off Galápagos Islands

A pristine deep-sea coral reef has been discovered 400-600 meters beneath the surface of the Galápagos Marine Reserve during a four-week mission to explore the waters around the Galápagos islands. The reef, covering the crest and slopes of an underwater volcano, is an exception to the usual low coverage of living coral in deep-sea reefs. The biology of the reef will take some time to explore, but may prove as distinctive as the islands above. The team hopes to use old corals to fill in gaps in our knowledge of abrupt climate shifts.