Snails, crabs and scale worms on a chimney at Mata Tolu. Image courtesy of MARUM, University of Bremen and NOAA-Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Download larger version (jpg, 880 KB).
Snails, crabs and scale worms on a chimney at Mata Tolu. Image courtesy of MARUM, University of Bremen and NOAA-Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Download larger version (jpg, 880 KB).
We found an array of beautiful features during our visit. We discovered an active hydrothermal system surrounded by a large area of currently inactive chimneys that covered an area roughly the size of an American football field. Some formed tall individual spires and others in clusters like the roof line of a gothic cathedral. Pockets of extensive biological colonization included crabs, snails, shrimps, fish, and worms around some of the chimneys. This dive had something for everyone, and the ROV team showed their skill as usual, as they collected a wide array of geological, hydrothermal and biological specimens for the Submarine Ring of Fire NE Lau Basin 2012 Expedition team.
