Orphan Knoll

Orphan Knoll
Location
CountryCanada

Orphan Knoll is an undersea peak, horst[1] and continental fragment located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, with mounds on it rising up to 1,800 meters from the surface. It was above sea level in the Middle Jurassic Period, and was left behind when Europe and Newfoundland separated during the formation of the North Atlantic, thus giving the peak its name.[2] Due to its isolation, it is a hotspot for marine life and is home to corals, sponges, and endemics.[3]

References

  1. ^ Meredyk, Shawn P.; Edinger, Evan; Piper, David J. W.; Huvenne, Veerle A. I.; Hoy, Shannon; Ruffman, Alan (2020). "Enigmatic Deep-Water Mounds on the Orphan Knoll, Labrador Sea". Frontiers in Marine Science. 6. doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00744. hdl:1983/7fd00252-ffd7-481b-9e4d-52a9b03911b4. ISSN 2296-7745.
  2. ^ Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (January 16, 2019). "Advisory Committee on Undersea Feature Names". Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs): Orphan Knoll". The Clearing-House Mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CHM). June 12, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2022.

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