A new coral reef with a rich diversity of marine life has been discovered by a scientific expedition off the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, according to the country's Environment Ministry. The 2-km long coral reef, which has more than 50 percent living coral, was found at a depth of 400 meters on the summit of a submarine mountain, Reuters reported.

It is the first totally pristine coral reef to be discovered, said Ecuador Environment Minister Jose Davalos. "Galapagos surprises us again!" he said on Twitter.

Scientists previously thought that the Wellington reef on Darwin Island's coast was the only Galapagos reef to survive the El Nino weather of 1982-83. However, the recent discovery of a previously-unknown coral reef challenges this belief, as it shows that another one has persisted, according to a statement by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment.

"This is very important at a global level because many deepwater systems are degraded," Stuart Banks, a senior marine researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation, who was part of the expedition, told Reuters.

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The Galapagos, known for inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, is also home to a wide variety of species, including giant tortoises, albatrosses, and cormorants, some of which are endangered.

In 2022, Ecuador extended the Galapagos marine reserve by an additional 60,000 square km, augmenting the existing 138,000 square km reserve, in a bid to safeguard endangered migratory species that traverse the waters between the Galapagos and Costa Rica's Cocos Island.

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"The discovery of this new reef in the Galapagos is a thrilling breakthrough for us," said the Ecuadorian Environment Ministry in a statement.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)