--- title: "Scientists Find Remnants of Huge Coral Reef in Middle of Desert" description: "The remains of one newly discovered, ancient coral reef, believed to be some millions of years old, have been discovered in an Australian desert plain." date: "2022-09-13" modified: "2022-09-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-remnants-coral-reef" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "coral reef" - "deserts" - "ocean" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Find Remnants of Huge Coral Reef in Middle of Desert ![The remains of one newly discovered, ancient coral reef, believed to be some millions of years old, have been discovered in an Australian desert plain.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Desert Reef On the list of places where you might not expect to find a coral reef, the middle of a desert is probably pretty high up there. And yet! The remains of one newly discovered, ancient coral reef, believed to be some millions of years old, goes to show that the world is full of surprises. An international team of researchers have identified, through "high-resolution satellite imagery and fieldwork," that the Australian Nullarbor Plain — a hot, flat expanse with no easily distinguishable geological features — is actually "the clear remnant of an original sea-bed structure preserved for millions of years," as explained in a [press release](). ## Flat Stanley Central to the fascinating study — [published this summer]() in the journal *Earth Surface Processes and Landforms* — was the location of a "ring-shaped 'hill,'" hidden in plain sight and revealed by that off-world imagery. Field studies then showed that microbial remains found onsite were akin to that of microbial structures found not on land, but under the sea — a revelation corroborating that the Nullarbor Plain was once blanketed by a tropical ocean roughly 14 million years ago. "The ring-shaped 'hill' cannot be explained by extra-terrestrial impact or any known deformation processes," co-author and geologist Milo Barham said in the press release, "but preserves original microbial textures and features typically found in the modern Great Barrier Reef." ## Big Ol' Fossil The Nullarbor Plain, according to the researchers, is a particularly fruitful place of geological study, as it's been relatively untouched by erosion. Thus, in a way, the entire region is a sort of like one giant fossil. "Unlike many parts of the world, large areas of the Nullarbor Plain have remained largely unchanged by weathering and erosion processes over millions of years," Barham added, "making it a unique geological canvas recording ancient history in remarkable ways." "These features, in conjunction with the millions of years old landscape feature we have now identified," he continued, "effectively make the Nullarbor Plain a land that time forgot and allow a fascinating deeper understanding of Earth's history." If the Nullarbor Plain could speak, it'd probably say something along the lines of the classic: don't judge a book by its cover. It seems that this Aussie desert was once host to a vast underwater ecosystem — a potent reminder of exactly how much our Earth has changed through its many millennia. **READ MORE:** [*Mystery 4,000-Foot Coral Reef Found in the Middle of the Desert*]() \[*Newsweek*\] **More on coral reefs:** [*Amazing News! The Great Barrier Reef Just Made a Massive Comeback*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()