Washington, SANA-
US researchers recently discovered a huge field of mysterious hydrothermal vents on the sea floor in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The researchers from Lehigh University in the United States, who published the results of the study of the discovered field in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), explained that this field is the largest and hottest in that region so far, located about 200 miles from the coast of western Mexico in a place that was not expected. Its presence is hundreds of meters from the axis of a chain of volcanic hills, and its area covers a football field.
Samples from 9 holes from the field revealed temperatures of 368°C with elements indicating that temperatures are generally higher with a minimum of 437°C given the observed iron and manganese ratio in the field.
Geophysicist Ross Parnell Turner, co-author of the study, explained that the near-bottom bathymetric surveys conducted by the research team between 2018 and 2021 with the Sentry autonomous underwater vehicle produced high-resolution maps, which enabled researchers to monitor an area of the huge towers located 5 to 7 km north of the nearest active axial vents previously known.
Not only was the field active, but it is larger in area and hotter in temperature than any other known hydrothermal vent field along this part of the eastern Pacific uplift studied over the past decade, said Woods Hole Oceanographic marine geologist Daniel Fornari. past 30 years.
McDeere-Mott of Lehigh University emphasized the importance of the discovery in mapping areas along the crest of the global ridge in the mid-ocean in order to better quantify the extent of hydrothermal venting.
A hydrothermal vent is a chimney-like opening on the ocean floor that spits out hot mineral water and is home to some of the most amazing ecosystems on Earth and is usually associated with volcanic activity.
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