A look at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which will be studied by scientists looking for signs of prehistoric inhabitants:

WHAT IS IT: A federally protected sanctuary of underwater salt domes topped with reefs that host brightly colored sponges, plants and other marine life.

WHERE IS IT: The little-explored sanctuary, covering 56 square miles and reaching depths of 476 feet, is actually three distinct areas south of Texas and Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. It includes the nearly 30-square-mile East Flower Garden and the more than 25-square-mile West Flower Garden. The two gardens are 12 miles apart and 100 to 115 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border. Also in the sanctuary is the Stetson Bank, a less than 1 square-mile area 70 miles south of Galveston. It’s about 30 miles from the other two sites.

WHEN WAS IT DISCOVERED: Fishermen discovered the banks in the late 1800s when their equipment snagged on the reefs and brought up colored sponges and plants.

WHY IS IT PROTECTED: Amid concerns about oil and gas drilling, anchoring of boats on the reefs and overfishing, it became a protected area in 1992 under the National Marine Sanctuary Act, making it one of 14 federally designated underwater sanctuaries.

WHAT’S THERE: Among the wildlife are eels, urchins, shrimp, lobsters and shellfish, eagle and manta rays, sea turtles and whale sharks. At least one species of shrimp is unique to the area.

source : www.chron.com