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Deepest Volcanic Sea Vents Found; "Like Another World" - may harbor unknown creatures
nationalgeographic ^ | April 11, 2010 | Brian Handwerk

Posted on 04/12/2010 2:43:55 PM PDT by JoeProBono

Three miles (five kilometers) below the surface of the Caribbean Sea (map), great volcanic chimneys gush subterranean water hot enough to melt lead.

Found via robotic submersibles on April 6, these two-story-tall "black smokers" are the world's deepest known hydrothermal vents, scientists announced from aboard a research ship Sunday.

"It was like wandering across the surface of another world," geochemist Bramley Murton, speaking in a press statement, said of steering a submersible around the record-breaking volcanic vents.

"The rainbow hues of the mineral spires and the fluorescent blues of the microbial mats covering them were like nothing I had ever seen before," said Murton, who, like the rest of the team, works with the U.K.'s National Oceanography Centre.

Adapted to extreme heat, darkness, and lack of oxygen, the creatures dwelling at the newfound volcanic vents may be akin to Earth's earliest life-forms or even, some speculate, indicative of what life might be like on other planets. But the team is keeping details about the creatures a mystery, at least until they've been thoroughly studied.

Undersea Volcanic Vents May Be "Lost World"

The team discovered the deep black smokers during an ongoing expedition to the Cayman Trough aboard the research ship James Cook.


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; godsgravesglyphs; jpb; panspermia; seavents; xplanets
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Shown in its first ever photo, one of the world's deepest undersea volcanic vents erupts earlier this year.


1 posted on 04/12/2010 2:43:55 PM PDT by JoeProBono
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To: JoeProBono

2 posted on 04/12/2010 2:49:56 PM PDT by JRios1968 (The real first rule of Fight Club: don't invite Chuck Norris...EVER)
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To: JoeProBono

Anthropogenic Volcanoes.


3 posted on 04/12/2010 2:53:54 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: JoeProBono

“Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”

Translated from a recent speech by Obama’s new Ocean Czar, Fidel Nyarlathotep, it reads, “In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming...”


4 posted on 04/12/2010 2:58:22 PM PDT by Noumenon ("Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, that he has grown so great?" - Julius Caesar)
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To: Noumenon

5 posted on 04/12/2010 2:59:33 PM PDT by JRios1968 (The real first rule of Fight Club: don't invite Chuck Norris...EVER)
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To: SunkenCiv

/mark


6 posted on 04/12/2010 3:13:13 PM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: JoeProBono

“The Neptune Factor” was a good movie along these lines also.


7 posted on 04/12/2010 3:15:28 PM PDT by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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To: cva66snipe

8 posted on 04/12/2010 4:00:23 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JRios1968

Somebody could clean up making a really good HP Lovecraft movie.


9 posted on 04/12/2010 4:08:11 PM PDT by Argus
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To: JoeProBono
Photobucket
10 posted on 04/12/2010 4:43:31 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

11 posted on 04/12/2010 5:04:38 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: 75thOVI; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; BBell; ...
Thanks KoRn, a three-list ping topic!
 
Catastrophism
 
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
 

12 posted on 04/14/2010 4:39:17 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; garbageseeker; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Thanks KoRn, a panspermia topic. IOW, time to buy a new pan, yuck!
 
X-Planets
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Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

13 posted on 04/14/2010 4:39:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: KoRn; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 240B; 24Karet; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks KoRn! I'm part German, which starts with "germ" -- no wonder I prefer a warmer climate.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

·Dogpile · Archaeologica · LiveScience · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google ·
· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


14 posted on 04/14/2010 4:41:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: JoeProBono

Burges Shale critters extinct? Just not found?

15 posted on 04/14/2010 4:48:14 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Ostracize Democrats. There can be no Democrat friends.)
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To: JoeProBono
Found via robotic submersibles on April 6, these two-story-tall "black smokers" are the world's deepest known hydrothermal vents, scientists announced from aboard a research ship Sunday.

Caudal it or scorn it!

Another dilemma!

16 posted on 04/14/2010 4:55:06 PM PDT by Randy Larsen ( BTW, If I offend you! Please let me know, I may want to offend you again!(FR #1690))
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To: JoeProBono; SunkenCiv

Would the Cayman Trench be on the same fault that set off the Haiti earthquake?


17 posted on 04/14/2010 5:09:24 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

18 posted on 04/14/2010 5:46:24 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: SunkenCiv

Cool! Drop algore off down there with a snorkel and mask to investigate.


19 posted on 04/14/2010 6:35:05 PM PDT by ForGod'sSake (You have just two choices: SUBMIT or RESIST with everything you've got!)
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To: JoeProBono
Thanks, Joe.

Wow, the geology in that region is really screwed up. I'd never heard of the Gonave Microplate until I started Googling this. The Cayman Trench is the west end of the Microplate, if I understand this.

20 posted on 04/15/2010 4:16:14 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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