The "Millon Mounds" coral region is an area of deep-sea corals about 100 miles off the coast of Georgia and Florida. NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted several expeditions to map this region and explore it with remotely operated vehicles. These mounds were built over thousands of years, largely by the deep-sea coral Lophelia pertusa. As one layer of coral dies, another grows on top of it, forming mounds.
The Million Mounds coral region provides habitat, protection, and food for a variety of marine life, and it's likely the largest continuous deep-sea coral ecosystem on Earth.
Download SD version (mp4, 52.0 MB).
Download HD version (mp4, 247.0 MB).
Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.
2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration – Remotely Operated Vehicle and Mapping Operations
Windows to the Deep 2019: Exploration of the Deep-sea Habitats of the Southeastern United States
Expedition Hopes to Chart “Million Mounds” of Deep-sea Coral off Southeast Coast