A cluster of 50-million-year-old extinct underwater volcanoes have been accidentally discovered after a group of researchers mapped the ocean floor located nearly 155 miles off of Sydney, Australia. The underwater volcanoes were found after researchers were looking for nursery grounds of larval lobsters.

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The underwater volcanoes discovery came after researchers mapped the seabed and their sonar detected the clusters. According to Value Walk, the extinct volcanic precipices are in fact calderas that are formed due to the collapse of the land surrounding a volcano when it erupts.

Among the four underwater volcanoes, the largest has a rim measuring nearly a mile in diameter and is 2,300 feet above the seabed. Moreover, Australian National University's volcano expert Richard Arculus stated these extinct volcanoes offer a vital clue that could shed some light to Earth's internal workings such as the splitting of the landmasses of New Zealand and Australia.

"They tell us part of the story of how New Zealand and Australia separated around 40-80 million years ago and they'll now help scientists target future exploration of the sea floor to unlock the secrets of the Earth's crust," Arculus said. "They haven't been found before now because the sonar on the previous Marine National Facility research vessel, Southern Surveyor, could only map the sea floor to (about 10,000 feet) which left half of Australia's ocean territory out of reach."

The surprising discovery made scientists think that the volcanoes were shaped by the geological plate changes, which caused the drift between Australia and New Zealand, in addition to their close proximity to the ancient ridge separating the two tectonic plates.

The accidental discovery of the extinct underwater volcanoes was made by research vessel "Investigator," with 28 scientists from various universities onboard, while on a 15-day voyage of scanning the ocean floor for nursery grounds of larval lobsters and fish, Design & Trend revealed.

As the newly discovered underwater volcanoes help scientists target future exploration to unlock more hidden mysteries lying on the Earth's crust, scientists are hopeful that the discovery will embolden Australian legislators to fund year-round investigative voyages, The Christian Science Monitor noted.

"With these sorts of discoveries, they'll see it's crazy to have it tied up to the wharf," marine biologist and chief scientist for the voyage, Ian Suthers told The Sydney Morning Herald. "If we just found these volcanoes by chance chasing larval lobster, imagine what we could find with a dedicated survey."

Aside from the underwater volcanoes and lobster larvae, scientists also discovered a young fish further from shore than ever before.

TagsUnderwater Volcanoes, Australia, new zealand, Extinct Underwater Volcanoes, 50-million-year-old volcanoes