Shedd Aquarium researchers revealed a rare underwater look at what they’ve found at a rocky outcrop off the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
Video shows a team of divers exploring the compressed remains of an incredible underwater coral reef at Morgan Shoal, found just a few hundred yards off the shore of Hyde Park.
Morgan Shoal is most notably home to a ship that sunk in 1914, which helped create the reef formed in shallow seas at the time, researchers said.
The 109-foot passenger steamer wrecked after hitting the rocks in the water, and because it was made out of wood broke up after two or three days under water – but the ship’s iron boiler is still there.
“As you’re driving up and down Lake Shore Drive and the water levels are low enough, you can actually see the remnants of this shipwreck,” said Shedd Aquarium’s senior research biologist Dr. Philip Willink.
Because most of Lake Michigan’s bottom is made of sand or mud, rocky outcrop spots create a unique habitat for hard-to-find creatures, including rare fish and prehistoric isopods.
