The 8th wonder of the world could have been found

The terraces of Lake Rotohamana, considered the 8th wonder of the world, were lost following a major eruption in New Zealand more than 130 years ago. Researchers believe they have found the remains of the geological formation at the bottom of a lake.
After more than 130 years, the 8th wonder of the world is at the end of its rock. Located in New Zealand on Lake Rotomahana, the Pink and White Terraces had been missing since 1886. That year, Mount Tarawera caused one of the strongest eruptions in New Zealand’s history, which made this wonder disappear into oblivion.
Before their destruction, these pink and white terraces were the two largest silica formations, the quartz made of fine grains that shimmers in the sun. According to the historical records, one of the formations was of a white pearl, while the other had a pink tint that coloured his many steps. Te Otukapuarangi, or the fountain of the cloudy sky, and te Tarata, or the tattooed rock, of their Maori name, were thus a great attraction for tourists in the 19th century, up to the cataclysm.
Competing theories on the future of the wonder
Some scientists thought that the shock of the explosion had completely destroyed the terraces, located at 10 kilometers southwest of the volcano. These two formations were facing each other on either side of the lake, but after the volcano exploded, the original lake and terraces disappeared into a gigantic crater. Over the course of the In time, this crater filled with water and replaced its predecessor.

Since 2011, many research groups have tried to get their hands on this splendour of nature which until then seemed out of reach. During underwater expeditions, researchers thought they had found traces of the terraces at the bottom of the lake. But other studies based on photographs underrejected the hypothesis, betting instead on destruction or misinterpretation of the photos.

These researchers thought that the remains were actually buried at a depth of less than 15 metres. near the shores of the lake. A hypothesis that is nevertheless faltering according to a new study published in the Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand and based on detailed water mapping underground in the area.

A new discovery that could end the debate
This new study suggests that the white terraces have been destroyed but that at least some of the Pink terraces remain intact at the bottom of Lake Rotomahana. According to geologist Cornel de Ronde, first author of the works, « the destruction of the majority of the terraces is not really a surprise, considering the of the violence of the 1886 eruption. The latter was heard several hundred kilometres away at the round.

Thanks to the analysis of the many data collected 5 years ago, the researchers have given more than precision on the location of what could well be the remains of the pink terrace formation. In based on seismic and magnetic surveys, as well as the use of sonar, they were able to scan the bottom of the lake with a very high level of detail. They were then able to compare their data with the photos and records of an explorer of the time.

Their conclusions point to the presence of pink terraces at the bottom of the lake and not underground as other specialists had assumed it. « We have reviewed all our data accumulated since several years and we concluded that it was impossible for the terraces to be buried next door of Lake Rotomahana, » says Cornel de Ronde.

While waiting for a consensus to be formed around this discovery, the 8th wonder of the world seems fine to be out of the reach of men’s sight forever.