Discovering underwater “"hot springs
Discovering underwater “hot springs
What is an underwater hot spring, or hydrothermal vent?Seawaterpercolates364throughthecrust3660Getschemicallyaltereo3680BlackbeunsSmokerGainshydrogen sulfide3700ComplexMgmetals, and heat3720Whitesmokers("Kremlin")Hotseawaterisbuoyant3740andemergesthroughthe3760crust as a"smoker"3780-Over200ventfieldshavebeendefecfedMassivePyriteFarfewerhavebeenBrecciaPyrite-Anhydrite Brecciavisited88CPyrite-SilicaAnhydriteBrecciaPyrite-Sillica BrecciaSilicifiedWall-RockBrecciaChforitized Basalt BrecciaBasalt050m
Seawater percolates through the crust Gets chemically altered Gains hydrogen sulfide, metals, and heat Hot seawater is buoyant, and emerges through the crust as a “smoker” Over 200 vent fields have been detected Far fewer have been visited What is an underwater hot spring, or hydrothermal vent?
From volcanoes to microbesWhen firstdiscoveredgeologistswereexcited aboutthese vents..Geochemistswere excitedaboutthesevents...Biologists..well,BiologistsWereFLOOREDby what theyfound
When first discovered, geologists were excited about these vents. Geochemists were excited about these vents. Biologists. well, Biologists were FLOORED by what they found. From volcanoes to microbes
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