Australian scientists find huge new healthy coral reef off northern coast

A view of the surface of a 500-metre-tall coral reef discovered by Australian scientists, off Australia's Great Barrier Reef, in this still image taken from video provided on social media, October 25, 2020. Mandatory credit SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE/via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists found a detached coral reef on the Great Barrier Reef that exceeds the height of the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower, the Schmidt Ocean Institute said this week, the first such discovery in over 100 years.

The "blade like" reef is nearly 500 metres tall and 1.5 kilometres wide, said the institute founded by ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. It lies 40 metres below the ocean surface and about six kilometres from the edge of Great Barrier Reef.