Dramatic seabed scans taken in hunt for missing MH370 reveal never-before-seen volcanoes and 5,000ft canyon

Scientists had better maps of Mars than parts of the Southern Indian Ocean before recent search efforts began

The team looking for missing flight MH370 have revealed astonishing images of the seabed which show dramatic underwater terrain for the first time.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has used specialist sonar equipment to map out the new parts of the Southern Indian Ocean which are to be searched.

The results have provided 3D pictures of the seabed which has never been seen before.

They include extinct volcanoes and a 4,593 feet canyon at the bottom of the ocean.

The collection of valuable new data from one of the most secret parts of the world is a by-product of the sombre search for the Boeing 777 which disappeared with 239 people on board.

Until now, scientists had better maps of Mars than parts of the Southern Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian Airlines plane vanished without trace on 8 March while flying from Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Twenty-six countries have helped look for the passenger jet, but no trace has been found.

The team at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the hunt for the plane, is using sonar to map the new "priority" search area.

Then they will deploy two or three deep sea vehicles to begin the painstaking, inch-by-inch seabed search for wreckage.

The “priority” area is based on the only piece of hard evidence investigators have, which is a series of brief, electronic “hellos” between the Boeing and a satellite.

But the signals don’t give an exact location, just a very rough idea, so the smaller, “priority” area is still 23,200 square miles, about the size of Croatia.

Making sonar maps is vital to ensure the deep-water vehicles into don’t plough into ridges and volcanoes.

The equipment is pulled along just above the sea floor by a six-mile long armoured cable.

The underwater search is the most complex search in history.

They may find clues within months. Or they may never find the aircraft at all.