"Although MBARI biologists will probably be working on their "alien" haul for years, says Clague, they found the new vents in record time. That's part of what makes the discovery so exciting. Scientists hope to speed up the pace of exploration of the largely unmapped ocean floor."- Scientist from Monterey Bay Aquarium research institute (MBARI) found ocean vents spewing super-heated water into the bottom of the ocean
- Hydrothermal vents are said to be the first places where life was founded on earth, as there is generally no photosynthetic energy to provide life.
- Hydrothermal vents are common at the bottom of the ocean, but this one is different because at 3810 meters below surface, these are the deepest and the structure is one never seen in the northern hemisphere.
- Most hydrothermal vents from basalt vents are black smokers, they shoot out dark, mineral rich water, are volcanic in origins - This one does not emit black smoke.
- They develop white chimneys made from calcium carbonate formed when the hot water emerges from the sea floor and quickly cools with the frigid ocean water.
o Tubeworms from Oasisia – looking like white flowers on the vents.
“We think this deep basin [the vents are] located in doesn’t have an ocean crust layer,” hypothesizes marine geologist Dave Clague, a senior scientist at MBARI who led the project. “It’s essentially mantle rock that’s exposed,”
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