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October 10, 2020: Hydrothermal Vent Chimney

Snails cluster around the base of a hydrothermal vent chimney at Mata Tolu, a volcano in the Pacific’s Northern Mata volcano group. Morphologically, this is the youngest appearing of the seven Northern Mata volcanoes, and it is the biggest and tallest of the group as well, rising to a summit depth of 1,820 meters (5,970 feet). While exploring Mata Tolu during the Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: Northeast Lau Basin expedition, the team discovered an active hydrothermal system at the volcano’s summit that was surrounded by a large area of currently inactive chimneys that covered an area roughly the size of an American football field.

Image courtesy of MARUM, University of Bremen and NOAA-Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Download larger version (jpg, 935 KB).

Snails cluster around the base of a hydrothermal vent chimney at Mata Tolu, a volcano in the Pacific’s Northern Mata volcano group. Morphologically, this is the youngest appearing of the seven Northern Mata volcanoes, and it is the biggest and tallest of the group as well, rising to a summit depth of 1,820 meters (5,970 feet). While exploring Mata Tolu during the Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: Northeast Lau Basin expedition, the team discovered an active hydrothermal system at the volcano’s summit that was surrounded by a large area of currently inactive chimneys that covered an area roughly the size of an American football field.

From: Mata Tolu, King of the Northern Mata Group.