Researchers' discovery: Coral reefs higher than Empire state building 

More than half of the corals at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have died since 1995, according to a new study previously reported by SVT News.

According to researchers, the cause of recent mass bleaching is due to rising sea temperatures.

But now Australian researchers have found a previously completely unknown coral reef next to the Great Barrier Reef, writes The Guardian.

The coral reef, which measures 1.5 kilometers at the base and 40 meters at the surface, is the first large free-standing reef discovered in the area since the end of the 19th century.

- It is a large coral reef not to have known about, says researcher Tom bridge at James Cook University to The Guardian.

- We know more about the surface of the moon than about what lies in the depths beyond our coastlines.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300 kilometers along the coast of Australia and is the world's largest system of coral reefs.

In 1981, the reef was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.