Seamounts are underwater mountains that rise at least 1,000 meters from the ocean floor but do not reach the surface. Numbering in the tens of thousands worldwide, they are formed by volcanic activity. Seamounts create localized upwelling currents that concentrate nutrients, making them biodiversity hotspots. Their slopes host dense forests of deep-sea corals and sponges, while their peaks attract aggregations of pelagic fish, sharks, and marine mammals. Less than 1 percent of the world's seamounts have been explored, making them among the least studied habitats on Earth.