Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: NE Lau Basin

Mission Plan: Proposed remotely operated vehicle dive sites in the Northeast Lau Basin
3D Fly-Throughs: Virtually explore volcanoes found in the NE Lau Basin.
Submarine Volcanoes of the NE Lau: West Mata Volcano erupting in 2009.
Hydrothermal Vent Plumes: A closeup of a CTD, the primary tool used to map hydrothermal plumes.
Chemoautotrophic Microbes: The orangish-brown material is iron oxide encrusted microbial mats, often observed at low-temperature hydrothermal vents.
Searching for New Pharmaceutical Drugs from Vent Organisms: Laboratory cultures of deep-sea vent microbes.

The inset in the top left shows the SRoF’12 - NE Lau basin proposed remotely operated vehicle dive sites (black boxes), and expedition track (arrows). The main map area shows the possible dive sites (black dots) at major features of interest including the North Matas, West and East Mata, Niua, Volcano O, Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC), and the Mangatolu Triple Junction (MTJ) North.

September 9 - 26, 2012

Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: NE Lau Basin is the latest in a series of expeditions to explore the submarine volcanoes of the Western Pacific. An interdisciplinary team of 27 scientists and technical experts from the United States, New Zealand and Australia will work closely with a team from the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences from the University of Bremen (Federal Republic of Germany) to utilize the remotely operated vehicle Quest 4000 to explore and collect samples at volcanic vents and hot springs. Our primary objective will be to explore and to characterize the unique ecosystems in the NE Lau basin through examination of their geology, chemistry, and macro- and micro- biology. Read more...