Gee, I wonder what is heating the oceans? (The ocean floor covers about 140 million square miles.)
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“Hundreds of towering hydrothermal chimneys discovered on seafloor off Washington,” reads the title.
In the dark ocean depths off the Washington coast, a magical fairyland of towering spires and hydrothermal chimneys sprout from the seafloor, a stunning new underwater map reveals.
These towers belch superheated liquid warmed by magma deep inside Earth.
This particular field of hydrothermal chimneys stretches along the ocean bottom on the Juan de Fuca Ridge to the northwest of Washington state.
Recent expeditions operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) revealed almost 600 chimneys in a zone about 9 miles (14 km) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide.
Deep-sea chimneys form as superheated liquid — up to 750°F (400°C) hot – rises through the ocean floor. As the liquid, heated to almost twice the boiling point, meets cold seawater, minerals precipitate and settle around the vent, forming the towers.
Chimneys in this area are among the tallest in any mid-ocean ridge; the biggest ever documented, known as”Godzilla,” rose 150 feet (45 m) from the seafloor. (As tall as a 15-story building.)
The study counted 572 chimneys taller than 10 feet (3 m) high. Most of the chimneys were under 26 feet (8 m) tall, though the tallest rose 90 feet (27 m) above the sea bottom. (As tall as a 9-story building.)
Only 47 of the 672 chimneys were active, the researchers reported.
The findings were published online April 14 in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
See entire article and photos:
https://www.livescience.com/hundreds-hydrothermal-vents.html
Thanks to George Martinez and Laurel for this link
“I think we have a better survey of the face of Mars than the bottom of our oceans,” says George. “A new discovery of just one tiny section of the ocean floor near Washington; how many more down there.”
“Warmer ocean areas? ‘Acid’ oceans? Nah it couldn’t be something like this,” says Laurel.
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May 4, 2020 at 08:43PM
Iowa Climate Science Education 