December 1, 2021: Hydrate
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Gulf of Mexico 2017. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
NOAA Ocean Exploration’s remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer encountered gas hydrate mounds, ice worms, chemosynthetic communities, and active gas seeps during Dive 17 of the Gulf of Mexico 2017 expedition. The orange-stained, massive gas hydrate in this image, which is covered with sediment and probably interspersed with carbonate rock, likely forms the structure of the hydrate mound. Porous gas hydrate formed around gas bubbles as they are emitted from the seafloor beneath the overhang is visible in the center of the photo, just left of the fish.
From: Ice Worms and Gas Hydrate-Encased Bubble Tubes.