Moses’ Waters?: Scientists Discover ‘Death Pools’ in Red Sea

Scientists investigating the Red Sea have found natural ‘death traps’ in the Gulf of Aqaba, now a region believed to be where Moses divided the waters. These brine pools at 4,000 feet below sea level have water that is as much as ten times saltier than that of the adjacent sea. The high salinity and absence of oxygen render the pools toxic, with organisms entering them dying or being immobilized, according to research published in ‘Nature Communications’.

The study also discovered that bigger predators would remain at the periphery of these pools of brine, waiting to pounce on weakened or stunned prey. The researchers, spearheaded by Sam Purkis, a professor and head of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, utilized remotely operated submersibles and deep-sea probes to investigate the deep-sea trenches off the coast of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Conditions Similar to Primitive Earth

The researchers are convinced that the extreme conditions in these pools of brine are comparable to the primitive Earth environment and would help to reveal the early origins of life. “Our current picture is that life began on Earth in the deep ocean, probably in anoxic oxygen-free environments,” Purkis explained.

Also, the research indicates that these ‘death pools’ may hold important clues in the quest for extraterrestrial life. The environment in such extreme conditions may be comparable to conditions on ‘water worlds’ outside our solar system.

Since there are not many organisms that can thrive in the brine pools, the layers of sediment do not get disturbed and, instead, serve as a well-preserved record of previous climate shifts and geological events. “Normally, these creatures bioturbate or churn up the seafloor, disrupting the sediments that settle upon it. Not so in the brine pools,” Purkis said. “Here, any sedimentary layers that fall to the bottom of the brine pool are exquisitely preserved,” he continued.

Purkis and his team hope that the pristine conditions will offer valuable information about ancient ocean environments, allowing them to reconstruct past climate patterns and trace the evolution of Earth’s ecosystems over millions of years. Similar formations have been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Antarctic Ocean, but none at such a great depth.