A new mapping tool has given scientists a first glimpse of an area of the seafloor just west of the San Francisco Bay and, thanks to a new animation, ordinary people can take a ride over the newfound and dramatic topography.

The newly mapped ocean floor lies within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a protected area that spans 1,279 square miles (3,312 square kilometers) of the Pacific Ocean just northwest of San Francisco.

Thanks to a sonar mapping tool, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently got a look at some unexplored areas of the sanctuary.

via A Virtual First Look at Unexplored Seafloor | Gulf of the Farallones | OurAmazingPlanet.com.

[hr]

See the video here: Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Virtual Tour