Tech & Sci
20:57, 05-Sep-2017
Chinese research vessel docks with 400 samples of deep-sea life
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Chinese research vessel Kexue, carrying an underwater robot and an unmanned submersible, finished a month-long scientific exploration in the western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.
The ship docked in the port city of Sanya in China's southernmost island province of Hainan Tuesday.
The Chinese-developed underwater robot Tansuo. /Xinhua Photo
The Chinese-developed underwater robot Tansuo. /Xinhua Photo
It set off from the southern city of Shenzhen on August 7, traveled across the South China Sea and sailed to the Yap Trench for ecological and marine organism surveys.
Xu Kuidong, chief scientist on board the ship, said the researchers sent the unmanned submersible 15 times to Caroline Seamount, where no exploration had been made before, to collect 400 samples from 170 maritime species.
They also found coral gardens and sponge forests in the area.
On the expedition, a piece of coral found 1,246 meters deep might be older than 4,200 years, the age of the oldest coral ever found. Researchers will do lab research to check its age, Xu said.
Chinese research vessel Kexue is seen sailing in the South China Sea, July 26, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
Chinese research vessel Kexue is seen sailing in the South China Sea, July 26, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
The researchers believe that Caroline Seamount was once an island. It subsided by at least 1,500 meters during plate movements.
2501km
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency