Dark clouds; silver linings

Geological Insights from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared on the 8th March 2014. The search for any remains was concentrated in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. A by-product of the search is state-of-the-art maps of the ocean floor.

This article gives a good introduction to what was found (no aircraft bits, unfortunately) and contrast it with our previous knowledge.

3-D image showing the diamantina Escarpment, looking northwest (upslope). The largest seamount in this area, about 1.5 kilometers high, appears in the foreground. In the middle and background, the escarpment and trough mark the northern margin of the rift. Vertical exaggeration is 3 times. Credit: Kim Picard and Jonah Sullivan.

The differences in resolution between multibeam and satellite-derived bathymetry data for the northern flank of Broken Ridge are apparent here. Numerous mass wasting features are evident, including slides and debris flows (delineated by their head scarps) that crosscut and run out as debris fans into the large semicircular depression