Newly Discovered High-Temperature Hydrothermal Vents Are Deepest in Pacific Ocean
Posted on June 2, 2015
Scientists have discovered high-temperature hydrothermal vents in the Gulf of California that are the deepest known vents in the Pacific Ocean. The Pescadero Basin vents discovered by MBARI researchers are located about 150 kilometers east of La Paz, Mexico. They are located over 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) beneath the surface. The image above shows delicate carbonate spires found in the hydrothermal vents.
The scientists say the vents are the only known Pacific vents to emit superheated fluids rich in both carbonate minerals and hydrocarbons. The Pescadero Basin is only the second place in the world where these carbonate chimneys - instead of chimneys made primarily of sulfides - have been found in the deep sea. The other known location is the Lost City vent field found on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The researchers say the newly discovered vents have also been colonized by tubeworms and other creatures that are unlike other vent communities in the eastern Pacific. Some of the tube worms, known as giant Riftia tubeworms, grow to over two meters long.
The Pescadero Basin vents were first identified using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that collected high-resolution sonar data. The MBARI UAV Doc Ricketts was sent to explore the find after geologists suspected there might be active hydrothermal-vent chimneys in the region. The team, led by David Clague, used the ROV to explore the vents and gather samples and video.
Clague says in a statement, "Before the AUV survey of Pescadero Basin, all we knew was that this area was really deep and filled with sediment. I was hoping to find a few outcrops of lava on the seafloor. But we got lucky. The vent field was right on the edge of our survey area, along a fault at the western edge of the basin."
Here is a video of the stunning find. Take a look: