The Calyfield clam field was the western-most known vent field on the Galápagos Rift when discovered 89.6°W. The field hosts a large vesicomyid (Calyptogena magnifica) clam, mussel (Bathymodiolus thermophilus), and endemic sponge community that covers an approximately 60 m x 60 m area. In 2002, extinct high-temperature sulfide chimneys were discovered several hundred meters northeast of Calyfield.

The Calyfield clam field was the western-most known vent field on the Galápagos Rift when discovered 89.6°W. The field hosts a large vesicomyid (Calyptogena magnifica) clam, mussel (Bathymodiolus thermophilus), and endemic sponge community that covers an approximately 60 m x 60 m area. In 2002, extinct high-temperature sulfide chimneys were discovered several hundred meters northeast of Calyfield. Image courtesy of Tim Shank, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NOAA OE.

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Related Links

Galápagos Rift Expedition 2011: History

Okeanos Explorer: Galápagos Rift Expedition 2011

NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer

NOAA Ocean Explorer Gallery