tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77508845195153580892024-03-05T17:53:06.119-08:00NOAA Vents Program expeditions: Neovolcanic activity in the NE Lau BasinUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-36995446941738246132010-05-10T13:44:00.000-07:002012-08-23T10:35:56.820-07:00Final 2010 expedition posting: Tofa Soifua<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tofa Soifua and Goodbye from Samoa and the Kilo Moana</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Joe Resing Chief Scientist</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigN-ByYHsA0OZdrg-7g8QpgflBifER2sMmqbgBJDMbJO7CxHt8NNjfC3eUnntYy81BK4JbQy8SDFfZ-m8ZpBKph5gtxwYDgHzz0vjrFFL8B5Ekle1oARYXpaSPD9kI7reU_X52H-AI2m1S/s1600/grouppic-lores.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469758110171924770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigN-ByYHsA0OZdrg-7g8QpgflBifER2sMmqbgBJDMbJO7CxHt8NNjfC3eUnntYy81BK4JbQy8SDFfZ-m8ZpBKph5gtxwYDgHzz0vjrFFL8B5Ekle1oARYXpaSPD9kI7reU_X52H-AI2m1S/s400/grouppic-lores.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The science party </span></span></div>
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Monday May 10th, 2010. We are currently sitting outside of Apia, Western Samoa, waiting to return to shore. It is sunrise and another beautiful day in paradise. We made remarkable discoveries on this voyage and accomplished much of what we set out to do. Although the ship has been beleaguered by a host of problems and we have had to return early, it was through the hard work and dedicated effort of the crew of the R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana</span> that we were able to accomplish so much.<br />
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The NE Lau basin is an area of intense magmatic and volcanic activity. It always seems that the next hydrocast will reveal yet another volcanic eruption or site of intense hydrothermal activity. On this trip we concentrated a lot of our effort on the North Mata volcanoes. Our findings indicate that 6 of those 7 volcanoes are active. Including our previous findings of magmatic and hydrothermal activity at East and West Mata, we have found activity at 8 of the 9 Mata volcanoes. These volcanoes form a chain only 15 -16 nautical miles long making this one of the most intense areas of hydrothermal activity found on Earth. Why is this? This area of the seafloor appears to be opening and cracking, allowing more magmatic activity, making these volcanoes very different from those that we find along the mid-ocean ridge, back arc spreading centers, and even those found along the arcs.<br />
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We also found that these sites support much biological activity. This is important, because the northern-most Mata volcano represents a biogeographic terminus of hydrothermal activity for this region. In order for species to spread, there is a large geographic barrier that they must now cross to propagate to and colonize in other areas of the oceans. Each of the northern Matas is venting very methane-rich hydrothermal fluids. Methane is an important source of microbial energy and is likely one of the important energy bases for the hydrothermal food chain found at these sites (see the rocks and animals blog posting).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG85pzjiTNM1klKoWCpAYfGPD0thvoywgCMIRUi1brfycRuXPI3hwVZJ_uMbIn2ovoWgDl9EMG8avLiIjAKUnz1pk_Ac4FaV57U_bSs-t_N-ApYp4ZPBPKVqyo45XK0Q2jlCzEPlphn1eP/s1600/biota-lores.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469793383114223282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG85pzjiTNM1klKoWCpAYfGPD0thvoywgCMIRUi1brfycRuXPI3hwVZJ_uMbIn2ovoWgDl9EMG8avLiIjAKUnz1pk_Ac4FaV57U_bSs-t_N-ApYp4ZPBPKVqyo45XK0Q2jlCzEPlphn1eP/s400/biota-lores.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 290px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Vent endemic fauna at one of the northern Mata volcanoes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3IU-PeWew0A_hD4ajZXSa2VTDev4JVM6oBhJtaMS0bX7zP5bASptXgHjUoy6R9CFOCcoVGdRU5jJ_Qf1PDUxdRRLI-i9CwreGBARXXIZAW1xebpL30OZG89oOR-nA0O9DwDr9aNaOUad/s1600/crinoids-crop.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469761026908229138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3IU-PeWew0A_hD4ajZXSa2VTDev4JVM6oBhJtaMS0bX7zP5bASptXgHjUoy6R9CFOCcoVGdRU5jJ_Qf1PDUxdRRLI-i9CwreGBARXXIZAW1xebpL30OZG89oOR-nA0O9DwDr9aNaOUad/s400/crinoids-crop.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 347px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Crinoids cling to the top of a chimney-like structure on one of the northern Mata volcanoes.</span></div>
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We look forward to our eventual return with a deep-sea robotic vehicle so that we may fully study this very exciting and incomparable place in the world’s oceans. Although we overuse the word unique, as of now we have found no other place on earth that is like the place we have found on this voyage.VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-16014230587192867352010-05-10T13:24:00.000-07:002010-05-10T18:21:22.979-07:00Acoustic Glider<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Listening to the Seafloor from Afar</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Acoustic Glider Team<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbOM7BRhbqGsvr8X2zslefQUcK4o5QwNYDLZJCw7ZqLt7n1tDWvVSqZoFaI2pOUT6k-QNRkKoWvObwvCGZM5Yv_Ypw_S1IXzxiBOOjMsLVAhp5jlqEPq0iGpUE_tB5F8NPJLhxoLkPSI4/s1600/glider-deploy-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbOM7BRhbqGsvr8X2zslefQUcK4o5QwNYDLZJCw7ZqLt7n1tDWvVSqZoFaI2pOUT6k-QNRkKoWvObwvCGZM5Yv_Ypw_S1IXzxiBOOjMsLVAhp5jlqEPq0iGpUE_tB5F8NPJLhxoLkPSI4/s400/glider-deploy-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469781955630946194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The glider in the water soon after deployment.</span><br /><br /></div>Scientists and engineers from NOAA/ Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory’s Vents Program successfully flew an ocean glider for hunting underwater volcanic plumes and eruptions in the Northern Lau Basin in the South Pacific near Samoa and Fiji. The team of scientists and ship's complement on the<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana</span> deployed and recovered the glider while 5000 miles away a team of engineers on shore controlled the glider 24 hours a day during this two-day mission. The ocean glider “flys” by controlling its buoyancy with respect to surrounding seawater and repeating dives and ascents between the surface and 950 meter depths at 3-3.5 hour intervals. The ocean glider can go up and down in the water column by use of a pump pushing oil in and out of its internal oil reservoir to an external bladder in the nose cone and converting the resulting vertical motion to horizontal momentum through its wings. During each surfacing, the glider calls in via satellite to a shore side team and transmits data from its latest dive and ascent. The lack of a physical propulsion system allows for “quiet” operation of the glider, enabling high quality sound recordings of nearby erupting volcanic vents. In addition to the hydrophone used for recording volcano sounds, the glider is equipped with instruments able to detect temperature, conductivity and turbidity anomalies associated with hydrothermal and eruptive plumes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgS56ftL6PisSTAeZmJYwbWaPDwWdnpgWmg7NEbNcKu2eK6gVoELYHeJ8dsi6i8pUl96lIgPr1phC34LM6RSwYlEN5QwMGaoCBKj7XGHo1FZ_dt4wY423CQb00S8kMBfjtkRfisIIIrO99/s1600/glidferblog-track-txt-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgS56ftL6PisSTAeZmJYwbWaPDwWdnpgWmg7NEbNcKu2eK6gVoELYHeJ8dsi6i8pUl96lIgPr1phC34LM6RSwYlEN5QwMGaoCBKj7XGHo1FZ_dt4wY423CQb00S8kMBfjtkRfisIIIrO99/s400/glidferblog-track-txt-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469815424481954706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The glider path from launch to recovery.<br />The yellow points are the positions when the glider surfaced.<br /></span></div><br />The glider performed flawlessly during the mission. Ironically the only problems arose because of the delicate nature of the technology and communications issues. A two day window of calm seas was critical because the glider had to be recovered carefully by small boat and towed carefully over to the ship and hooked onto a lifting line. Choosing the launch time required constant coordination between the shore and ocean teams over a week period. Also, during the pre-dive diagnostics prior to deployment of the glider, satellite communication between the glider and the PMEL shore station was less than ideal and attributed to interference from the steel structure of the ship. However, once deployed in the water, we experienced very few satellite communication issues. The Kilo Moana’s e-mail service was excellent and helped tremendously in coordinating the operations between the ship and shore teams.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRdh7Iz_icgOl7sr-4HapuA89k9bdHRDDRcGHd1EcN6lnPweoGKUVQbXz0uhrUqx57rnpeP-huuChtgccx56FSlVVxarkv96ifPdO67Lh_cXJYK_w7hi22MFnhbVAbeMDVYJ9-yDZrOjd/s1600/gliderrecovery-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRdh7Iz_icgOl7sr-4HapuA89k9bdHRDDRcGHd1EcN6lnPweoGKUVQbXz0uhrUqx57rnpeP-huuChtgccx56FSlVVxarkv96ifPdO67Lh_cXJYK_w7hi22MFnhbVAbeMDVYJ9-yDZrOjd/s400/gliderrecovery-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469782345379873234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Recovering the glider using the ship's Zodiac.<br /></span></div><br />During this mission, engineers at PMEL in Seattle and Newport worked together to monitor the progress of the glider and report its position and status to ship board personnel around the clock. Over the two-day mission, the glider travelled roughly 50km from the Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC) to the volcanic cone at West Mata where it was met by the ship and recovered. Despite working upstream against a surface current of 30-40cm/sec, the glider made good forward progress averaging 30cm/sec headway toward its waypoints. The glider’s navigation was amazingly accurate during a nearly flawless flight. Currently, data from the mission are being analyzed and we expect that it will reveal new insight of the plumes near the West Mata area as well as the acoustic signature unique to active seafloor volcanism.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-24995548638683375772010-05-10T00:19:00.000-07:002010-05-10T00:43:16.468-07:00Mapping<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mapping the Northeast Lau Basin</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Susan Merle<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U41S4Lzv0ddHqWYaHV4H9C7kQ59mgNimHSwUxi7tOPehz4Rr_nAoOsWHm5FfClPdJF3EsdY-RIIHNNtpWKNlmiZeDZDZ5-63Efj3QLQxoM4Uz8qR2Nj6vQh_ntJ_Jur0w8P28u4uFqnG/s1600/3Dimage-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1U41S4Lzv0ddHqWYaHV4H9C7kQ59mgNimHSwUxi7tOPehz4Rr_nAoOsWHm5FfClPdJF3EsdY-RIIHNNtpWKNlmiZeDZDZ5-63Efj3QLQxoM4Uz8qR2Nj6vQh_ntJ_Jur0w8P28u4uFqnG/s400/3Dimage-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469539192388150578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">3-D image of the NE Lau Basin seafloor. Bathymetry data were collected during expeditions to the area is 2008, 2009 and on the present mission. Data are 2 times vertically exaggerated. </span><br /><br />The main objective of this expedition has been to further our understanding of the extensive volcanic activity in the northeast Lau Basin. We wouldn’t know where to look if we didn’t have a good map of the seafloor. Seafloor mapping was performed between TowCam and CTD operations on this mission. Some areas were mapped to fill gaps in our data coverage, others were mapped to perform surface differencing calculations which tell us where new lava has erupted or landslides have occurred. The bathymetry data are gridded and can be displayed as a 2-D map, a 3-D image, or utilized interactively as a layer in a GIS (Geographic Information System) database.<br /><br />The mapping system is mounted on the hull of the R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana</span>. A sound signal called a ping is sent from the ship to the seafloor and bounces back to the ship. The length of time that it takes for that round trip is how the seafloor depth is determined. Over the years seafloor mapping systems have improved immensely. During the 1980s the NOAA Vents Program mapped the Juan de Fuca ridge with the first generation of seafloor mapping systems called SeaBeam classic. That system had 16 soundings, called beams, on each ping. Coverage was 75% of the water depth, eg. if the water was 1000 meters deep the swath on the bottom was 750 meters across. The new EM122 12 kHz multibeam system on the R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana</span> has a possible 432 beams per ping. The coverage averages 4 times water depth (4000 meters across in 1000 meters of water). The resolution of the data has increased dramatically due to the increase in data density. The EM122 is a new generation of multibeam system, capable of mapping the water column as well as the seafloor. The water column data images biomass (fish, zooplankton, etc.) as well as bubble plumes rising from the seafloor. On our past expedition to the Mariana Arc we successfully imaged gas bubble plumes rising from the eruptive vents at the summit of NW Rota volcano (http://nwrota2010.blogspot.com/2010/03/volcano-mapping.html).<br /><br />On this expedition we departed from the island of Upolu Samoa, steamed southwest crossing the Tonga Trench to the Lau Basin – mapping all the way. Mapped depths range from 150 meters near the island to 7200 meters over the trench. Approximately 4000 square kilometers of seafloor was mapped in the expedition operations area where water depths range from 1000 to 3800 meters.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4HoWXzAwTUX94Ml9vatO0qTf7DLC3FqxbHkiAOTX9Fyajj7AcIIWItQXyp53a7M0EV-HjEiBo4Jc6XkAxzPZhk6NOlHnw3swWFRot065FBbKRUsLkq8219r1A8yUfYbRkyVhkV1KV_X3/s1600/bathymetry-mapping-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4HoWXzAwTUX94Ml9vatO0qTf7DLC3FqxbHkiAOTX9Fyajj7AcIIWItQXyp53a7M0EV-HjEiBo4Jc6XkAxzPZhk6NOlHnw3swWFRot065FBbKRUsLkq8219r1A8yUfYbRkyVhkV1KV_X3/s400/bathymetry-mapping-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469542879722549682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Bathymetry data collected on the 2010 expedition are outlined in black.</span><br /></div>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-88902085807483243822010-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:002010-05-10T18:27:09.303-07:00More Smoking Guns<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">More Smoking Guns in the Lau Basin</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ed Baker and Bob Embley<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiBXD019k-iyR2W-TWP2htLLrpkC2m_bdxG2cJtPaPuG_Z16hfN3Uau_VvNhlI1uT90gvx-VvWEALNsW3lB79wxmUbEDFzT46XbZV8Cy98j8GcodNlxMvbkKB_Gk2YKs9V1GVY3FT1keo/s1600/08-04-19-04+sulfide+%27n+smoke+lo-res.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiBXD019k-iyR2W-TWP2htLLrpkC2m_bdxG2cJtPaPuG_Z16hfN3Uau_VvNhlI1uT90gvx-VvWEALNsW3lB79wxmUbEDFzT46XbZV8Cy98j8GcodNlxMvbkKB_Gk2YKs9V1GVY3FT1keo/s400/08-04-19-04+sulfide+%27n+smoke+lo-res.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469465177841801922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elemental sulfur deposits on the summit of the central cone at Volcano O.</span></div><br />A scientist is simply another version of a detective, endlessly seeking clues to how the world works. Here in the Lau Basin, one of the most geologically active patches of ocean floor on the planet, our forensic tools are several varieties of remote sensing instruments. Our assignment is to discover where molten magma from the Earth’s mantle rises close enough to the seafloor to create hot springs in the icy depths. These hot springs, similar to those at Yellowstone National Park, are oases for isolated ecosystems that can survive only on the heat and chemicals venting from the seafloor.<br /><br />Last year in the Lau Basin, we reported the discovery of one of the most remarkable hot spring environments ever discovered (see our 2009 blog entry on the right side of this page). Video from the West Mata volcano summit showed erupting molten lava and exploding magma gas bubbles. This year we are again uncovering more evidence of spectacular hot spring activity in this seafloor wonderland.<br /><br />We have finished examining the “Northern Matas” volcano group (see the May 5th Synopsis) and have confirmed that active hot springs occur on six of those seven volcanoes. Thus eight of the nine “Mata” volcanoes in this corner of the Lau Basin host active hydrothermal fields. Discovering so many active volcanoes in such a confined area is unprecedented in our experience. But our most stunning discovery was not in this area but several miles to the southwest, at Volcano “O”, one of the largest volcanic calderas ever mapped on the deep sea floor.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFejcDhOGp0dz_trIL8PIYbydExPfa8h-y_QP8srqSpw8ICcojO2noB7HD02IXmd8EvLUAHToUtjMwFw76U2-f3M7wiApYKchhvIBZE-HNXAvJBGPlFvRn0JPH9iTxWCc9rY1g8EiXRrk/s1600/volcanoO-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 391px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFejcDhOGp0dz_trIL8PIYbydExPfa8h-y_QP8srqSpw8ICcojO2noB7HD02IXmd8EvLUAHToUtjMwFw76U2-f3M7wiApYKchhvIBZE-HNXAvJBGPlFvRn0JPH9iTxWCc9rY1g8EiXRrk/s400/volcanoO-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469463345551287074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Map of Volcano "O"<br /></span></div><br />Rising a thousand feet from the southeast corner of the caldera floor is a perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone. This edifice is probably the youngest volcanic feature on Volcano O, constructed of lavas and fragmental material to form an almost perfectly symmetrical volcano rising up 300 meters (~1000 feet) from the floor of the caldera. We dropped a CTD cast directly on its top and recorded hydrothermal plumes as intense as those enveloping the summit of West Mata—a literal smoking gun. The similarity to West Mata energized us to conduct a camera tow directly over the summit of the cone. This operation was a delicate one as the cone narrows upwards to a very small pinnacle. The camera group (see the May 3 blog) was up to the job, of course, and the camera climbed up the steep (≥ 30°) northwest flank and passed directly over the top.<br /><br />Real-time sensors on the camera frame reported tantalizing data. Along its path across the summit it encountered dense particle plumes, high oxidation-reduction anomalies (indicating an increased concentration of chemicals like hydrogen sulfide that are vital for seafloor microbial life), and higher temperatures. Clearly the top of cone was the muzzle of a smoking gun. It was agonizing waiting until the end of the tow to see images of the seafloor itself.<br /><br />The images were well worth the wait! The flank of the volcano consisted of long<br />toothpaste-like lava flows, black sand, and lighter colored sediment.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9ls_xfK7el49YQ4qPQARTe5whH6L1zNkczdUO0m2tXTWbQnaT-KQdUI7KnaSMzKXapnZX1Rn3LYYCE0JG7leFjFWPy6vT_4ALoSlt2Th1qecpQjhtiOR54-4xkD9T7yRgJp3X8Hs0AE4/s1600/08--4-36-34+pillows%27n+talus+lo-res.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9ls_xfK7el49YQ4qPQARTe5whH6L1zNkczdUO0m2tXTWbQnaT-KQdUI7KnaSMzKXapnZX1Rn3LYYCE0JG7leFjFWPy6vT_4ALoSlt2Th1qecpQjhtiOR54-4xkD9T7yRgJp3X8Hs0AE4/s400/08--4-36-34+pillows%27n+talus+lo-res.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469464390310343138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The seafloor along the flanks of the central cone at Volcano O.</span><br /></div><br />But as we neared the summit, patchy white reflective material became more and more common until almost the entire slope was covered. Finally, near the southern edge of the summit, we encountered drifting clouds of milky white fluid that appeared to be seeping out of the seafloor over a broad area.<br /><br />A close look at the photographs showed that the clouds were high concentrations of dense white particles. The white patches we saw scattered around the summit must be deposits of these same particles. Evidence from the water samples collected on the CTD cast, and from the TowCam photos, suggest that the specks are elemental sulfur. In fact, the scene at the summit of the cone is reminiscent of Daikoku volcano in the Mariana arc where in 2006 we discovered an extraordinary pool of liquid sulfur bubbling on the seafloor (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06fire/logs/may4/may4.html). Beyond these exciting inferences, we won't know what new discoveries await us at Volcano O until we return with a robotic vehicle (ROV) on a future cruise. Our case in the Lau Basin is far from being closed, and many more clues are left to be revealed.VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-72946495454465723712010-05-07T18:49:00.000-07:002010-05-07T19:50:51.453-07:00Rocks and Animals<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rocks and Animals on the Seabed in the NE Lau Basin</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ken Rubin<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">One of the activities on this expedition is systematic high-resolution photographic surveys of the sea floor. Why do we want to do that? To learn what is there. After all, the deep sea floor is Earth’s final frontier and we are driven to explore it. But why go to the NE Lau basin, instead of some place closer to home? We already know that many areas on the sea floor are vast monotonous plains of sediments, and that other parts are as rich with features as the land above sea level. The NE Lau basin is one of those feature-rich places. Sonar maps tell us that it has a larger than usual number of hills, ridges, basins and cracks that are characteristic of volcanic landscapes. Chemical surveys of the overlying sea water tell us that some number of these hills is hydrothermally active. So, we’ve come to this area to learn which areas have young volcanic rocks, hydrothermal mineral deposits and/or animals that thrive at active volcanoes.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjWfBZfe0GdSXjvvOKnrxtWNqhUwqHeIHEM0F_qduvO-5QxZ9sF4pB930BJvddaHz_-jq6BhetNmeRg1oKyZ1RRlROv6cOfGDocDGFplXXlfq78ezpg-w9fC7MmA0xAHTBVVVRvmthzSC/s1600/ct06-2010_05_05_05_11_50-cr-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjWfBZfe0GdSXjvvOKnrxtWNqhUwqHeIHEM0F_qduvO-5QxZ9sF4pB930BJvddaHz_-jq6BhetNmeRg1oKyZ1RRlROv6cOfGDocDGFplXXlfq78ezpg-w9fC7MmA0xAHTBVVVRvmthzSC/s400/ct06-2010_05_05_05_11_50-cr-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468713498708772594" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;">Large brown gastropods colonize hydrothermal chimney structures on one of the volcanoes of the North Mata group. As Tim Shank (a colleague at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) explains, these seamounts may have faunal differences between them that are related to geography, the age of the venting system, recent disturbances, or some combination thereof.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">By photographing the sea floor, we can see first hand what types of rocks are there, what condition they are in, and what organisms might be living on them. We have chosen our survey spots mostly from sonar maps and sea water chemical data. But we also use a bit of horse sense and rely on a bit of luck to hopefully put the camera down in the best spots. So far, we have completed 7 camera surveys, and our luck has been with us. We have discovered relatively young (less than a century or so old) volcanic rocks at each site, and active hydrothermal systems at two of them.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJsLDHEP2YBlJp6PElNT7d3X0ZtsJ4uYhCOHPaiLD2Ok9krdoL9ECUl_971RMK0RNeo2iu_-lpmn5IM2-Sby7eLegc-MvhGXfxP-Xu0c7ONoVhneBE1XuUxth_dmw5nC9yD3o7-y9qxMX/s1600/ct07-2010_05_06_02_51_37-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJsLDHEP2YBlJp6PElNT7d3X0ZtsJ4uYhCOHPaiLD2Ok9krdoL9ECUl_971RMK0RNeo2iu_-lpmn5IM2-Sby7eLegc-MvhGXfxP-Xu0c7ONoVhneBE1XuUxth_dmw5nC9yD3o7-y9qxMX/s400/ct07-2010_05_06_02_51_37-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468714505124492802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Young, fresh pillow lava in a newly discovered lava flow erupted near Tafu volcano on the NE Lau Spreading Center. The white deposits on the surfaces of the cracks usually only lasts for a few years after eruption.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSafgvHkkexNQYk5tsZEOaeyQlVwFFXCknnOpBIzojYUCG3Nidgh8jz7aGYStgudtF3_ITMqQYuB7fnwPn-LuxtITHHoBefvR61_DveJytcdKK9YSbPjf_KfixZDBLrhyp2HQbNuIFsNK/s1600/ct07-2010_05_06_03_12_47-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSafgvHkkexNQYk5tsZEOaeyQlVwFFXCknnOpBIzojYUCG3Nidgh8jz7aGYStgudtF3_ITMqQYuB7fnwPn-LuxtITHHoBefvR61_DveJytcdKK9YSbPjf_KfixZDBLrhyp2HQbNuIFsNK/s400/ct07-2010_05_06_03_12_47-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468725504013409490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Young sheet lava overlies fresh pillow lava, showing a sequence of lava effusion conditions (slower at first, and then faster) at this spot during the eruption near Tafu. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">These photos also provide invaluable first hand information about the types and numbers of animals that live these at submarine volcanic sites. The animals tell us where nutrient and energy rich hydrothermal fluids are venting from the rocks (which is sometimes difficult to see with the naked eye). But more importantly, they inform us about the ecological conditions that allow some of Earth’s most unusual critters to grow, reproduce, migrate and colonize the isolated spots in the deep sea they are adapted to live in. So far, we have discovered two sites that are rich in such fauna on this expedition and by harnessing the R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana’s</span> reliable and speedy Internet link to send photos to shore, we have been able to learn a great deal about these communities. Dr. Tim Shank, a colleague at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who was unable to come with us on the expedition, tells us that these sites are rich in fauna, some found elsewhere in the region, and some that might be new discoveries. Some notable examples are included in the last two pictures on this page.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rLCYt5ae_KcxoAKwTWsvHReHBNunBrFjSwJMv0eOptkYzumBB94AjdPpHG3Chv4QP9oNzTG-JnssduopKSO0eX_zzl3UMwDPxybwhLlu882EYvJ0HqCYAJmmSiJBtW12WQpQq4alaMUh/s1600/ct06-2010_05_05_05_36_20-cr-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rLCYt5ae_KcxoAKwTWsvHReHBNunBrFjSwJMv0eOptkYzumBB94AjdPpHG3Chv4QP9oNzTG-JnssduopKSO0eX_zzl3UMwDPxybwhLlu882EYvJ0HqCYAJmmSiJBtW12WQpQq4alaMUh/s400/ct06-2010_05_05_05_36_20-cr-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468716956609596402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Crabs, <span style="font-style: italic;">Phymorhychus</span> gastropods (large white snails) and small actinarian anemones populate a volcanic substrate with active diffuse hydrothermal venting. None of the species, or those in the first picture on this page, were found at actively erupting West Mata volcano during our remotely operated vehicle dives in 2009. </span><br /></div></div>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-12201991740829827252010-05-07T15:00:00.000-07:002010-05-07T19:24:10.662-07:00TowCam - The Right Tool<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">TowCam – the Right Tool for the Job Exploring the NE Lau Basin</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >Bob Embley</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" ></span></div>The state-of-the-art maps we make using the R/V <span style="font-style: italic;">Kilo Moana’s</span> hull-mounted sonar systems provide us with a great view of the major seafloor features such as volcanoes and fault zones. However, even the best maps of the seafloor require interpretation that is limited by the resolution of the map (the maps we have out here have data points about every 25 meters (~85 feet). Although we can make basic interpretations using these maps such as the presence of hard rock and the type of seafloor landforms, we still have to have images of the seafloor to make finer observations such as composition of the seafloor and the seafloor biological communities. Robotic vehicles and human occupied submersibles are being increasingly used to provide this need but they are expensive and difficult to deploy on short notice. Another lower tech yet very effective way to image larger areas of the seafloor is the deep-towed camera.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0B3TvqVkIre8uUIm4tGIFVU7DbH-gxCykl60JrfAPe1WcD1SOCE2HvJCv5tcpc3LQ1rAnVGm_Pt7ToYMz5iOto562-mC3uQrWwed1FJxAHamM4_SIRqE-Ehg-kde4rcqaM501u_2jRFv/s1600/towcam-deck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0B3TvqVkIre8uUIm4tGIFVU7DbH-gxCykl60JrfAPe1WcD1SOCE2HvJCv5tcpc3LQ1rAnVGm_Pt7ToYMz5iOto562-mC3uQrWwed1FJxAHamM4_SIRqE-Ehg-kde4rcqaM501u_2jRFv/s400/towcam-deck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468705054265332114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >Preparing the TowCam for deployment from the stern of the R/V<span style="font-style: italic;"> Kilo Moana</span> (left to right: </span><span style="font-size:85%;"> Justin Smith, Susan Hannemann, Ken Feldman). </span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >The large fin stabilizes the fish during towing.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" > Orange objects are batteries used to power the digital camera strobe.</span><br /></div><br />The “TowCam” we are using is one of several designed and built at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution by D. Fornari and M. Schwartz for use by the scientific community. It has evolved from earlier systems developed in the 1960s and 1970s to locate hydrothermal vents and to photographically map the seafloor. The well-designed TowCam includes a digital camera, a light strobe, a sonar designed to monitor the height of the sled off bottom which provides warning of steep topography along its path, a pressure gauge to record depth, and various other sensors to precisely measure temperature, water turbidity etc. The “TowCam” also has six bottles that sample water over hydrothermal vent fields. These instruments are all mounted within a sturdy frame to protect them from accidental contact with the seafloor. The entire system is connected to one of the ship’s deep-sea cables and lowered to about 15 feet off the seafloor where it is towed at slow speed (1/4 knot) over features of interest. The slow tow speed is critical for maintaining maximum control of the camera and ensuring a high spatial density of photographs. On this expedition we have been collecting 2000 high resolution photographs, snapped every 10 seconds over a tow path of about 2 miles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJujMjEQIHGfoKQ7q59pN_7dh22ndiAoHgI4WpdnqW7ft0ca_KLSGS7A2T4yIvVS415Hh9SKCOiHgE5mj-ivtg50QXF1b4fnAWJScV47kEwDdurhpw50rUENzRF2IZbaW5tKiPmLp2Nauy/s1600/seafloorcoral-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJujMjEQIHGfoKQ7q59pN_7dh22ndiAoHgI4WpdnqW7ft0ca_KLSGS7A2T4yIvVS415Hh9SKCOiHgE5mj-ivtg50QXF1b4fnAWJScV47kEwDdurhpw50rUENzRF2IZbaW5tKiPmLp2Nauy/s400/seafloorcoral-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468665839755629410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">TowCam photograph of coral hanging on for dear life on unstable volcanic slope of Mata Fitu volcano. Depth approximately 2440 meters (~8000 ft.). Two green dots just above coral are lasers with separation of 15 centimeters (~6 inches).</span><br /><br />The progress of the camera is monitored by the scientists on the ship. On this trip we are dependent on the technical expertise of Ken Feldman who has not only kept the system operational but is a master at “flying” the camera near the seafloor using the ship’s winch. Susan Hanneman has volunteered her long expertise and enthusiastic support of the TowCam operation on this expedition and we are also dependent on the expertise of Susan Merle to provide the detailed seafloor maps of the camera tracks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdm4Vm7NuwjSXaL22ydKP9TYS0tlY_UL9LLwugOsJ4vzcTSWpxrMhLZnRP4cOFK74g0tVR3Zp5TmxwXwpCpk-IyJ6JHAHrwGjAMToludoO4cor9lFPDObbJ44QKoe889AkWYA7jxCgH-h/s1600/CameraTeam-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdm4Vm7NuwjSXaL22ydKP9TYS0tlY_UL9LLwugOsJ4vzcTSWpxrMhLZnRP4cOFK74g0tVR3Zp5TmxwXwpCpk-IyJ6JHAHrwGjAMToludoO4cor9lFPDObbJ44QKoe889AkWYA7jxCgH-h/s400/CameraTeam-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468660151896513490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Scene in lab o<span style="font-style: italic;">f Kilo Moana</span> during TowCam operation. Front: Susan Hanneman (left) and Ken Rubin (right) Back: Ken Feldman (left) Craig Harvey (right). Large monitor displays seafloor map of area being towed and control for winch is seen just to left of Ken Feldman.</span>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-48132060728984730262010-05-05T18:04:00.000-07:002010-05-06T00:28:12.653-07:00May 5th Synopsis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGY_QWvG8XyjG_aE4pYrSv3TlIl2c-oWVxJcnPE1qVpvYA3xONNKHZZbrhmqf9Yt9a7A8-Oqb97UPzNh3wD2wIxjHaJFfvVJ7FUUw0vb7I-tjFFgywAHNNNX-UX87V77x8o-45Fg1iSFsO/s1600/matas4web-new.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGY_QWvG8XyjG_aE4pYrSv3TlIl2c-oWVxJcnPE1qVpvYA3xONNKHZZbrhmqf9Yt9a7A8-Oqb97UPzNh3wD2wIxjHaJFfvVJ7FUUw0vb7I-tjFFgywAHNNNX-UX87V77x8o-45Fg1iSFsO/s400/matas4web-new.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467986758377454866" border="0" /></a><br />We have now been at sea one week, already half-way through this expedition to the Lau Basin. During this first part of the cruise our main scientific objectives have been to search for new volcanic activity, as well as to verify whether or not volcanoes visited on past cruises are still active. Two methods of exploration have been used. The first is a suite of sensors on board a CTD-rosette sampler system that is lowered from the ship, which enables us to detect hydrothermal and volcanic activity on the seafloor. The second method is a camera sled that is towed near the seafloor, providing images of lava flows, biota, and hydrothermal vents.<br /><br />Up to this point our operations area has been the Mata group of volcanoes. West Mata, the volcano that was erupting lava onto the seafloor during our last visit in 2009 is still extremely active (see our blog entries from the 2009 expedition link on the right side of this page). The hydrothermal system at East Mata is also still emitting hydrothermal fluids. The main focus area has been the "North Matas", an area not previously explored by our group. CTD tows have been executed across all of the northern Matas and all but one have a hydrothermal signal. In addition 2 camera tows on the northern Matas reveal hydrothermal vent biota, as well as extinct and active sulfide chimneys.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6XFtKRpPG3JL3BHEPE65TFoViPqM9mecQ8mz0NjMvE_OSd9yLqR4PvePGQ0lEAlAPNzmu9iYOI7Mnw4VjcaCj8cTyyDIx1pMyEiCad-giMeLn0J9bw6xL0n0vr2k8q8dsuBRoZEFW2Mg/s1600/CT-03-chimneys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6XFtKRpPG3JL3BHEPE65TFoViPqM9mecQ8mz0NjMvE_OSd9yLqR4PvePGQ0lEAlAPNzmu9iYOI7Mnw4VjcaCj8cTyyDIx1pMyEiCad-giMeLn0J9bw6xL0n0vr2k8q8dsuBRoZEFW2Mg/s400/CT-03-chimneys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467988203081018882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Camera tow image of chimneys on one of the northern Matas.<br />The chimneys in this image don't appear to be emitting hydrothermal fluids.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUaNQmEL5xsuQavrg8W61w9tlQ2EynaR2p4HeeuCz6YMcSujFZg3KuDeiRrgbAtl56Dx46YT4iJPAWycQpS8okGg4qdJOEc0xujopSJOPHDAQtnr9lSpVriAL7bcarkIX38noit81kKPW/s1600/CT-03-biota.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUaNQmEL5xsuQavrg8W61w9tlQ2EynaR2p4HeeuCz6YMcSujFZg3KuDeiRrgbAtl56Dx46YT4iJPAWycQpS8okGg4qdJOEc0xujopSJOPHDAQtnr9lSpVriAL7bcarkIX38noit81kKPW/s400/CT-03-biota.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467989167343083426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Biota in the region of the previous chimney image.<br />Crab species, shrimp and urchins are present.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65W3LoWLIrdYnD6hTB2TX_wPv652aY6SgcLT1HV_W9jVLtPxmT6ecLKbAe4EbZnn2lCmbnn7BZpmldtc8ktN41UCSOvPmcifhzG5_PVjOQIjybgbS6hyYON6_jeXQMaAC0Ol3rxh7eUeK/s1600/t10b-03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65W3LoWLIrdYnD6hTB2TX_wPv652aY6SgcLT1HV_W9jVLtPxmT6ecLKbAe4EbZnn2lCmbnn7BZpmldtc8ktN41UCSOvPmcifhzG5_PVjOQIjybgbS6hyYON6_jeXQMaAC0Ol3rxh7eUeK/s400/t10b-03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468054710232024770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">CTD towyo over one of the North Mata volcanoes.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Orange and red colors indicate high particle concentrations over the summit.</span><br /><br /></div>The NE Lau basin appears to be one of the most magmatically active place on earth. Our previous research shows evidence of extensive volcanism in the region. Many areas are covered with relatively young lava flows. So, in addition to looking at the Mata group of volcanoes, we also performed 4 camera tows over some of those lava flows. When magma is erupted on the seafloor and is cooled by hydrothermal activity, it releases a rare elemental tracer, helium (3He). A large helium anomaly exists throughout the region, the source of which is unknown. In an effort to better identify the source, three CTD vertical casts were acquired in the area of the Tonga trench. This long-term project is one we will continue to pursue.<br /><br />At this point we have performed 14 CTD operations, 8 of those have been tow-yos and 6 have been vertical casts. 7 camera tows have been completed. Stay tuned.VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-10189842978744317452010-04-22T15:38:00.000-07:002010-05-04T19:39:38.379-07:00NE Lau Expedition, April 28 - May 11, 2010<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scientists Return to NE Lau Basin, April 28 - May 11, 2010</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Follow the expedition here.</span><br /></div><br /><img src="file:///F:/bakup-apr2010/lau/2010/4web/fled3d-bscat-4web.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_kbjTMt2PSAtGSNRA2p68YSRIxQX1Y4B7xSQxJ4qM2fWCtu_MdP5dYUl05LSEkortiGaqVVl9AvAySecQkefSo8ww-tVuFORTohhbnaC8uF7y6kjH5wpkXIFlb3WL7lG5aCtdCXr8pfD/s1600/fled3d-bscat-4web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_kbjTMt2PSAtGSNRA2p68YSRIxQX1Y4B7xSQxJ4qM2fWCtu_MdP5dYUl05LSEkortiGaqVVl9AvAySecQkefSo8ww-tVuFORTohhbnaC8uF7y6kjH5wpkXIFlb3WL7lG5aCtdCXr8pfD/s400/fled3d-bscat-4web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463389460161437762" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Backscatter (draped over bathymetry) is semi-transparent to allow bathymetry<br />to show through. Black represents high backacatter values.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background: Elements of Press Release, Dec 17, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scientists Discover and Image Explosive Deep-Ocean Volcano</span><br /></div><br />During May 2009 scientists funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation recorded the deepest erupting volcano yet discovered, describing high-definition video of the undersea eruption as “spectacular.” Eruption of the West Mata volcano, discovered in May, occurred nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area bounded by Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.<br /><br />Imagery includes large molten lava bubbles approximately three feet across bursting into cold seawater, glowing red vents explosively ejecting lava into the sea, and the first-observed advance of lava flows across the deep-ocean seafloor. Sounds of the explosive eruption were recorded by a hydrophone and later matched to the video footage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SV41lOt3sejOF2N7grxEeNfj4_W8jlWgCg4TPF122zTx0Nv9A-AvFt9tXNMW4Apqk8Lrdfd12-VIazMR010WaDipy8V_2CkXTOR9cYiXgxjjT1mLI08yUoFS3THFzjOznWEstn3IcKSE/s1600/Fiery_blast-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SV41lOt3sejOF2N7grxEeNfj4_W8jlWgCg4TPF122zTx0Nv9A-AvFt9tXNMW4Apqk8Lrdfd12-VIazMR010WaDipy8V_2CkXTOR9cYiXgxjjT1mLI08yUoFS3THFzjOznWEstn3IcKSE/s400/Fiery_blast-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463392569578056050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Close view of magma explosions and lava flows on West Mata volcano, May 2009</span><br /></div><br />“We found a type of lava never before seen erupting from an active volcano, and for the first time observed molten lava flowing across the deep-ocean seafloor,” said the mission’s Chief Scientist Joseph Resing, a chemical oceanographer at the University of Washington who collaborates with NOAA through the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean. “Though NOAA and partners discovered a much shallower eruption in 2004 in the Mariana Arc, the deeper we get, the closer the eruption is to those that formed most of the oceanic crust.”<br /><br />“It was an underwater Fourth of July – a spectacular display of fireworks nearly 4,000 feet deep,” said Co-Chief Scientist Bob Embley, a marine geologist based in the Newport, Ore., office of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. “Since the water pressure at that depth suppresses the violence of the volcano’s explosions, we could get the underwater robot within feet of the active eruption. On land, or even in shallow water, you could never hope to get this close and see such great detail,” he said.<br /><br />Mission scientists released the video and discussed their scientific observations at a Dec. 17 news conference at the American Geophysical Union’s annual fall meeting in San Francisco.<br />“For the first time we have been able to examine, up close, the way ocean islands and submarine volcanoes are born,” says Barbara Ransom, program director in NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences. “The unusual primitive compositions of the West Mata eruption lavas have much to tell us.”VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-22763167943301216222009-05-11T23:30:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:46:18.566-07:00Eruption!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >West Mata is erupting!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqhhULFLZVd0Iizj0SP5uxEl6DiVMp5hQKxJFLKwqnhyg7cE5ZAZvehZMsnJVQORCPz2U7fYB-VTDjChLA1d4F-vctx2bf6FyCZ2JsZvf0lUWrB0kFWU6cpUVbL0VoTOb3nvaCbD5_TR9/s1600-h/glowing+eruption+for+web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqhhULFLZVd0Iizj0SP5uxEl6DiVMp5hQKxJFLKwqnhyg7cE5ZAZvehZMsnJVQORCPz2U7fYB-VTDjChLA1d4F-vctx2bf6FyCZ2JsZvf0lUWrB0kFWU6cpUVbL0VoTOb3nvaCbD5_TR9/s400/glowing+eruption+for+web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332781616261374706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Hades eruptive site at West Mata<br /></span></div>Joe Resing, Chief Scientist.<br />West Mata volcano is erupting! We have seen pillow lavas, pyroclastic (magmatic gas breaks apart the lava) and phreatic (lava flows over water which turns into steam which breaks apart the rock), events. It is incredible. Here is one picture; we hope to get some video footage out as soon as possible. This dive is still happening and we have been in the water for about 3.5 hours. Less than 24 hours after leaving port, we have located on the seafloor an ongoing eruption that we first detected several months ago on a water-column mapping cruise (November 2008).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">All high-definition video by Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">copyright </span><span style="font-size:78%;">WHOI<br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-82030805158824575552009-05-11T23:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:46:54.099-07:00We Thought We’d Seen it All<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBYijOXU4OOw_H_Z4zh9k3EUEqWNt8sz416PZcF-fCQyPOL0hjOWcQZKAHYF2qfHo9LKFK_zclizcYUuhDgeR-fb4_VSpxKqnI7_J0wBTXTidUu6f0-vz3_tVmB2Q4Oq4VEIJ5jgsrmLc/s1600-h/prometheus-200dpi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBYijOXU4OOw_H_Z4zh9k3EUEqWNt8sz416PZcF-fCQyPOL0hjOWcQZKAHYF2qfHo9LKFK_zclizcYUuhDgeR-fb4_VSpxKqnI7_J0wBTXTidUu6f0-vz3_tVmB2Q4Oq4VEIJ5jgsrmLc/s400/prometheus-200dpi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332963033790967138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Prometheus eruptive vent at the summit of West Mata (1208 meters)</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bob Embley: Co-Chief Scientist</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Resing: Chief Scientist</span><br /><br />Five years ago we came across our first view of an active submarine eruption at NW Rota-1 volcano near Guam in the western Pacific. It amazed and astounded us to see volcanic bombs and gas bubbles being injected from Brimstone Pit (the volcanic vent). On our return visit in April of this year, we saw lava being extruded from the pit. We all felt very fortunate to witness these phenomena for the first time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNH6vo6Y_9ZLilk6-hyCzKKZHfvK-HUPdPxAi3Tmt97UnW2hw9wytiZG59q-qMMO0evu-hBdO4gDi56TANJaypN6w7HlDqdkAUBbJH7LGE-6Xb1Z1Fl2K63A5qI_wWNbrO_p7qHREzmKN/s1600-h/hades-200dpi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNH6vo6Y_9ZLilk6-hyCzKKZHfvK-HUPdPxAi3Tmt97UnW2hw9wytiZG59q-qMMO0evu-hBdO4gDi56TANJaypN6w7HlDqdkAUBbJH7LGE-6Xb1Z1Fl2K63A5qI_wWNbrO_p7qHREzmKN/s400/hades-200dpi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332964031715714434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Hades eruptive vent at the summit of West Mata (1174 meters)</span><br /><br /></div>From results of our initial surveys in the NE Lau Basin in November 2008 we suspected something similar was occurring on West Mata, a small submarine volcanic cone in the northern Lau Basin, about 200 km southwest of Samoa. However, nothing prepared us for the sights we saw on the summit of this volcano - our first dive on the site today using the remotely operated vehicle Jason 2 nearly overwhelmed our senses with a collective gasp. Here, at a depth of 1208 meters (almost 4000 feet), we saw for the very first time pillow lavas flowing from a deep submarine volcano at a site we are now calling Hades. In contrast to Brimstone Pit, we could not approach close to this site because it was undergoing violent explosive activity and almost continuously shedding large blocks of lava as well as pillow flows. On our first approach we saw red glows from the extruding lavas up to 5-10 meters away from the vent!<br /><br />We were due for another surprise. About 100 meters along the summit from Hades our sonar started showing some very strange echo returns from something to the north of us. As we turned toward it there was another billowing plume! Descending to this site another vent revealed itself as a cinder cone spewing volcanic bombs and ash! As we sat there, a red glow appeared and persisted for about 30 seconds as hot magma and gases were expelled. Wow! Have we seen it all yet? I very much doubt it!<br /><br />Tomorrow we return to explore the site further…. Stay tuned.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">All high-definition video by Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">copyright </span><span style="font-size:78%;">WHOI</span></div></div></div>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-18686975021793596192009-05-11T21:15:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:46:39.504-07:00Biological Discoveries<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJRbjbRxyzCeNl3-JCnH8_96VWgPKPGWr1lI8sqQTladfiEqbRwOWRjTb6GZPg0K50CXtV7Bs82sP0XeizqZ5tcFEThers4uMCOk1f9K-B24tKG1PN33AJ8qFjydT5S5Y1V_X_HPXN3KT/s1600-h/shank-animals-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJRbjbRxyzCeNl3-JCnH8_96VWgPKPGWr1lI8sqQTladfiEqbRwOWRjTb6GZPg0K50CXtV7Bs82sP0XeizqZ5tcFEThers4uMCOk1f9K-B24tKG1PN33AJ8qFjydT5S5Y1V_X_HPXN3KT/s400/shank-animals-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334023078204515570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A biological sorting tray of recently collected specimens, including shrimp, mussels, and crabs.</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;">Tim Shank</span><br /><br />Our exploration of the West Mata Volcano during our first two dives yielded exciting new discoveries of active volcanic eruptions, exploding hydrogen, high-temperature venting, and lava flowing downslope as newly-minted pieces of rock debris fell like rain around our vehicle, Jason-2. Normally, venting water contains nutrients that feed thriving oases of diverse forms of life, including large tubeworms, clams, mussels, and crabs. However, at West Mata, there is a notable absence of any attached or even “slow-moving” animals on the seafloor- no tubeworms, no clams, no mussels. The active creation of new seafloor and volcanic activity may prevent these animals from ever establishing themselves here. In fact, even highly-mobile animals like crabs have not been observed (and only two fish, so far). Interestingly, so far, the diffuse venting fluids (~5 to 25°C), issuing through cracks and crevices around the eruptive vents, play host to only one type of vent fauna - shrimp. Hydrothermal vent shrimp are known to inhabit vent sites throughout the world. The two species we have encountered are abundant (analogous to the density of microwave popcorn kernels strewn over a sofa), apparently grazing on microbes growing on the rocks and in the venting fluids, and they appear to be similar to shrimp seen at known vent sites a few thousand kilometers to the south.<br /><br />Our subsequent exploration of the Northeastern Lau Spreading Center (NELSC) has yielded two active vent fields that host foot long tubeworms, mussels, crabs, several species of small snails and shrimp, as well as vent-endemic fish. While our round-the-clock processing of these collected animals (now more than 700 individual animals from more than 14 species) is less than 48 hours old, our initial examination of these animals suggests that we may have collected organisms that may best be described as new species. One thing that is certain is that each dive has yielded new biological discoveries. As I write, we are planning our third dive to explore the eruptive West Mata volcano for additional biological communities.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSpSHIeRq52wFvTAbJjTpcFgJdIZm6Go1Uqkvn2JU01YcEAFcZggLhDkFfbL3tL8DwGO5vAU5rZjGJDFaOzgLlTa2MHdHLPcBJLc7PNnDrqnZJZmFIAaBj0ZwOzpGws35cMw0lypV_z_g/s1600-h/wmata-shrimp-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSpSHIeRq52wFvTAbJjTpcFgJdIZm6Go1Uqkvn2JU01YcEAFcZggLhDkFfbL3tL8DwGO5vAU5rZjGJDFaOzgLlTa2MHdHLPcBJLc7PNnDrqnZJZmFIAaBj0ZwOzpGws35cMw0lypV_z_g/s400/wmata-shrimp-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334104039467182994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A congregation of shrimp at West Mata in an area of diffuse hydrothermal venting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">All high-definition video by Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">copyright </span><span style="font-size:78%;">WHOI</span><br /></div>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-27042983874009113832009-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:47:06.777-07:00NELSC "Puipui" Eruption<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwjKN-ty63Scb-psSkiuUUeokKex9noGyEbnQEZCeGWl5ByzEvL-e2d-WugJ2Z1BI_9qCCCBcGg4q-jh5pxhqWkxqlAeB6MRWwTER7WhpnzHlwki1v1mQJLoqimb0Ab5dA-XKDRLdPlLq/s1600-h/curtainflow-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwjKN-ty63Scb-psSkiuUUeokKex9noGyEbnQEZCeGWl5ByzEvL-e2d-WugJ2Z1BI_9qCCCBcGg4q-jh5pxhqWkxqlAeB6MRWwTER7WhpnzHlwki1v1mQJLoqimb0Ab5dA-XKDRLdPlLq/s400/curtainflow-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334404629031850178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Young curtain lava flow draped and folded over the landscape</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Puipui eruption of Northeast Lau spreading center</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Ken Rubin</span><br /><br />Most of Earth’s volcanic activity happens beneath the sea, sight unseen, sound unheard. It’s really rare to witness these eruptions, either accidentally or by design, so when marine scientists catch a whiff of one, we’ll go to extraordinary lengths to locate and observe it. Five months after the email message came in that the NOAA Vents group had discovered spectacular particle plumes rising up to 600 m (~2000 ft) above the sea bed at a site in the Northeast Lau Basin, here we are, looking for the eruption that made them. It turned out there were two eruption sites, one of which is still active, at West Mata volcano and one which is not, at the Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC). Both sites are fascinating places to work. At NELSC, where some might see a seemingly endless sheet of dull black rock that isn’t moving and glowing anymore, isn’t venting hot water, and isn’t teeming with animals, the geologist in me sees cascading lava falls and swirling sheets and rivers of liquid hot magma.<br /><br />We are calling the NELSC lava flow “Puipui”, meaning curtain in Tongan, because of the distinctive way the lava draped and folded itself over the landscape. The Puipui eruption is interesting because of the range of lava forms we observed over short spatial distance, which resulted from a combination of steep topography, gas rich and fluid magma, and what was apparently an intensely fast lava effusion event. Driving Jason along the lava flow, we saw first hand how important the pre-eruption land surface was for controlling where and how the young lava flowed. It only took 4 to 5 feet tall ridges of old rock to dam the Puipui lava flow in places, where it flowed in thin flat sheets between the high ground. Nearer the volcanic vents, which appear to sit along a narrow ridge, lava cascaded 30 feet or more down steep rock faces, forming sheets of lavas that look like curtains draped over the sea floor. In other places, the lava ponded, crusted over on top, and then drained out, leaving collapse pits that reveal hollow chambers roofed by lava shells held up by pillars of fresh lava rock.<br /><br />We’re done observing Puipui for now, but the real work has yet to come. There are maps to pour over, and a hundred or so pounds of rocks to take back to the lab. The rocks will be used to learn how magmas form in this location and when they erupted, which will help us understand a little more about deep submarine eruptions.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">All high-definition video by Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">copyright </span><span style="font-size:78%;">WHOI</span></div>VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-71275625893676965302009-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:47:23.364-07:00West Mata Eruption Comparisons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsipjwmNOT5kkuH5eQNLNz9sbMzoRvQsfG6IHJriRyUGtZJEmrzlg_XQ_HJdPXOOwybXwdsvD-drSxmf4-72z9GRpfVJGCUePW4KNuVt6fRoRs5yvXXNoYElxKSln_9VDVWT-mMnu-K_08/s1600-h/w-mata-vents-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsipjwmNOT5kkuH5eQNLNz9sbMzoRvQsfG6IHJriRyUGtZJEmrzlg_XQ_HJdPXOOwybXwdsvD-drSxmf4-72z9GRpfVJGCUePW4KNuVt6fRoRs5yvXXNoYElxKSln_9VDVWT-mMnu-K_08/s400/w-mata-vents-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333368389659536386" border="0" /></a>Dave Clague<br /><br />The two Jason dives at West Mata volcano discovered not just one active volcanic vent, but two. The first and deeper vent, named Hades vent, on the southwest rift was erupting both effusively and explosively at the same time on both days. Small bursts were occurring at one end of an erupting fissure perhaps 5 meters long while pillow lavas were being extruded from the other end. By the next night the activity had become more vigorous, sometimes blowing glowing bubbles as much as a meter across. The second shallower vent, named the Prometheus, was located very near the summit of the volcano and about 100 meters away from the first vent. The eruption here was entirely explosive with low-level, but nearly continuous fire fountains throwing ejecta into the water during both dives. Both vents were obscured much of the time by billowing sulfurous gas emissions, but bright orange lava was seen in both vents. The orange glowing lava was visible for minutes at a time. Clear carbon dioxide bubbles were not observed at or near the vents, in contrast to their abundance at NW Rota-1 volcano in the Marianas arc, which was visited just last month by many on board this expedition.VentsProgramAtSeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05425243077335730082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-14752648012953069402009-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:47:36.097-07:00West Mata Dive 1It is 4:00 am and we have arrived at West Mata Volcano and the Jason-2 ROV is in the water. Dive one is under way. We expect to have an 8 hour dive. Everyone is quite expectant. We are less than 24 hours out of port and we are in the water. Amazing. The Jason group has worked very hard. What will we see? Pictures and updates later.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In the picture below the Jason group is busily preparing the robot for deployment.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EG2f7_9otqiRVYBV0S3nE668KD5RgvtSHPTeGWJwrY7cNlHfWroSbX2wK1MaNsfJSgjhrbsaFHt4SLfXSid-jgxXc_z9yTQIlQQtIj44RkefPU_Y-sK10xf9RPMv8HYfNaPkRWlm0l8k/s1600-h/Jason-2+predive+may+6+2009+0300+web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EG2f7_9otqiRVYBV0S3nE668KD5RgvtSHPTeGWJwrY7cNlHfWroSbX2wK1MaNsfJSgjhrbsaFHt4SLfXSid-jgxXc_z9yTQIlQQtIj44RkefPU_Y-sK10xf9RPMv8HYfNaPkRWlm0l8k/s400/Jason-2+predive+may+6+2009+0300+web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332721234353392658" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-32621358580338784102009-05-11T10:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:48:05.365-07:00Farewell Samoa<div style="text-align: center;">To Fa Soifua or farewell to Apia Samoa<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvEwtlYOc8z8AdPLwajIj_yZNWN7zpBZvI8hT96dVCZz8C6zPOirFiA_9ZHzgsjFfU39Q7XeCj_Rzu8UpK74Beo2oZr05C1GQY8HAgh_pGtAJ2y9f6W4gFDtvKx9JqhSGAP5Uy3iTtfWu/s1600-h/depar+apia+web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvEwtlYOc8z8AdPLwajIj_yZNWN7zpBZvI8hT96dVCZz8C6zPOirFiA_9ZHzgsjFfU39Q7XeCj_Rzu8UpK74Beo2oZr05C1GQY8HAgh_pGtAJ2y9f6W4gFDtvKx9JqhSGAP5Uy3iTtfWu/s400/depar+apia+web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332680617376243170" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">We have departed Samoa and are underway to explore the<a href="http://laueruptions.blogspot.com/2009/04/this-mission-is-aimed-at-exploring.html"> two volcanoes</a>, West Mata and the Northeast Lau spreading center. They say time is relative and that is true in Samoa. To leave the harbor we need to hire pilots to steer the ship. Although we were scheduled for 8am, they arrived at 9am. We departed and our pilots have left us. Our next task for this day is to fine tune our navigation so that we can track our robot (remotely operated vehicle or ROV) Jason-2 and our autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) D. Allan B. We are about to do this now. We will place a sound beacon (transponder) on the seafloor and will then talk to it from the ship, whose position is derived from satellites. We then talk to our beacon while driving a pattern with the ship. This information allows us to determine where the beacon is. After some fancy mathematical calculations have been completed, we will be able to track Jason-2 and D. Allan B using beacons (transponders attached to the vehicles).</div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-43811962599382346462009-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:48:21.501-07:00The End of The Cruise<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFHRv8FlztROCCUPVV4pDpu3tgcV7_MhAfS29p-YwerSW_JqS2irlGZNYQOZ_XJN2UmtXMHRP-VDWv25IJy5QHotsHRpKgYlpDgK5oW-0O29XH0FaOZzjHn7_j10U9WqcqtEfDVGl7zYe/s1600-h/grouppic-lores.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFHRv8FlztROCCUPVV4pDpu3tgcV7_MhAfS29p-YwerSW_JqS2irlGZNYQOZ_XJN2UmtXMHRP-VDWv25IJy5QHotsHRpKgYlpDgK5oW-0O29XH0FaOZzjHn7_j10U9WqcqtEfDVGl7zYe/s400/grouppic-lores.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335456487272835938" border="0" /></a>The NE Lau Response Cruise Science Party<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Joe Resing</span><br /><br />This is the end of a very successful cruise. Within an hour or so of our first dive, within 20 hours of leaving port, we made observations never before seen. We witnessed red molten lava flowing on the seafloor. Volcanic rock formations, especially pillow basalts, are one of the most common rock forms on Earth’s surface and, yet, we had never seen their formation in the deep ocean. Volcanic rocks circle the globe along lines of volcanoes called mid ocean ridges and the seafloor has many individual volcanoes as well. In fact, more than 80% of the volcanic eruptions on planet Earth are under water, generally out of sight. For more than 25 years we have been trying to make these observations. Here, in the seven days of this cruise we have finally seen active extrusions of lava on the seafloor. We have seen explosions with flashes of light. We have seen molten rock forming new earth. We have made completely new observations that will allow us to better understand fundamental processes shaping our Earth. Strangely, these new volcanoes and the toxic gasses that they emit are host to organisms and microbes. We collected these biological specimens and look forward to understanding how they cope with this environment.<br /><br />We have a research mechanism in place called “time critical studies.” We have responded to many eruptions, only to arrive well after the eruptions had ended. The question was asked, “Is there anything else we can learn from these studies?” Our answer today is “Absolutely yes!” It is clear that planet Earth has much left to reveal, and we have much to learn about our home. We live on an amazing planet. It is dynamic and beautiful. But we are not yet finished, and hopefully someday I will again be a part of revealing something new to you.<br /><br /> I would like to thank all those who made this happen so quickly. We discovered this eruption in mid-November of last year by examining the water above the volcanoes. Amazingly, less than six months later we were able to arrange ship time, Jason-2 robotic remotely operated vehicle time, and funding to come out here to make direct observations of the seafloor. We were allowed to move ship schedules and Jason-2 schedules. We were able acquire funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Through the Ridge 2000 and Margins Programs we engaged in three months of concentrated effort and community organizing. Was it worth it? Absolutely.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-76039626203822219372009-05-11T06:00:00.000-07:002009-06-23T10:11:43.912-07:00Background<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvo6C6cndudNWRjYyt9_5kEcGdsLfSmnNNd7Lm_QShyr4gjwFqvngrcomHcDcLsJgtfhxMi5eQJOXLnp4NcySieolygaNoQH-Zs1qXWmTtdpvDnJmu2_Lu6Uo2V3yGAb6UvD9tpI8MjZp/s1600-h/regional+map+of+lau+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvo6C6cndudNWRjYyt9_5kEcGdsLfSmnNNd7Lm_QShyr4gjwFqvngrcomHcDcLsJgtfhxMi5eQJOXLnp4NcySieolygaNoQH-Zs1qXWmTtdpvDnJmu2_Lu6Uo2V3yGAb6UvD9tpI8MjZp/s400/regional+map+of+lau+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325807790885898146" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">This mission is aimed at exploring the sites of recent eruptions in the NE Lau Basin. The NE Lau Basin is located in the Southwest Pacific within the triangle formed by Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. This area is home to many submarine volcanoes and very few of them have ever been explored. In November 2008, the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/">NOAA-PMEL Vents</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> program discovered two on-going eruptions in this area, one at </span>W. Mata Volcano<span style="font-family:georgia;"> and the other on the</span> NE Lau spreading center (NELSC)<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" >.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">West Mata volcano (~15</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:100%;" >̊</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >.1 S, 173</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Tahoma;font-size:100%;" >̊</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.7 W) appears to have formed on a tear in the ocean's crust, and may represent the initial stage of the formation of an arc volcano. It may also be producing unusual lavas (boninites) that previously have only been observed at old, inactive, volcanoes. The NELSC is a back arc ridge. An eruption along a back arc ridge has never before been detected, making this a valuable opportunity to explore newly formed ocean crust, hydrothermal vents, and biological communities.</span><o:p></o:p></span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>We will explore the sites of these two eruptions from May 5th to May 13th, aboard the<i> </i>University of Washington’s <i>Research Vessel T.G. Thompson</i>. We will be using the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) <i style="">Jason 2</i> and the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) <i>D. Allan B.</i> The <i>Jason 2</i> will collect samples of rocks, hot spring waters, microbes, and macro biological specimens. The <i>D. Allan B.</i> will deliver high-resolution maps of the eruption sites.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> This cruise represents an incredible opportunity to understand some exciting but unknown facets of our dynamic planet, Earth. Our planet is the most dynamic one in the solar system. Active volcanoes constantly build and reshape the Earth’s crust, providing energy and nutrients that nourish life. Strangely, while we visit our Moon, the planet Mars, and other planets, the submarine portions of our planet remain remarkably under-explored and therefore relatively unknown.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">West Mata Volcano</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugn7vF-cvEDjqkiyvQooVRNRtMSRubddEC2ahPK4QHSeBB7vbLODFoW8XCe55BNREZGgQC0_MaXygb20Qd98Z5ouMox6e4dtnfz6Lu9Ap4TDUWdR8neogu2BJae0nuPTZ05KmnCbtc15c/s1600-h/westmata-4web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugn7vF-cvEDjqkiyvQooVRNRtMSRubddEC2ahPK4QHSeBB7vbLODFoW8XCe55BNREZGgQC0_MaXygb20Qd98Z5ouMox6e4dtnfz6Lu9Ap4TDUWdR8neogu2BJae0nuPTZ05KmnCbtc15c/s400/westmata-4web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328305335971997298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >West Mata volcano is located in an unusual location between the Tafua arc and the subducting trench. This volcano and its neighbors are elongate with two long rift zones running in the same orientation as the tears in the ocean crust beneath them. In November, W. Mata was draped in fresh clastic debris from its summit to its base, with old lava flows ponded at the ends of each of the rift zones. We are uncertain if magma from the back arc or the volcanic arc feeds W. Mata, although its location closer to the arc front suggests it is the dominant source. A rare lava type called boninite has been recovered in dredges in the area to the northwest of W. Mata. The eruption was discovered by detecting an intense cloud of particles rising ~175 m above its summit at 1200 m depth. We judged the volcano to be actively erupting during our sampling because the cloud contained enormous concentrations of hydrogen (> 9000 nM) and abundant sharp-edged rock shards. Extremely high levels of hydrogen are generated when molten rock and water come in contact. The rocks then explode into countless pieces (or clasts), and the finest of these particles rise with the cloud. The same process forms the ash clouds commonly seen over erupting volcanoes on land. Many of these characteristics are similar to those at NW Rota-1 in the Mariana arc, which has been undergoing continuous submarine eruption for at least 5 years. The summit of W. Mata is about 800 m deeper than NW Rota-1 so eruptive processes are likely to differ due to the greater pressures at W. Mata.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC)</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGEozmkqBK9iKbppB-MSzkDIZFG42CR70E7HZyEAt9N4gQkLZe1PpesQobTqnspCIRvbW3k_BxHokcfufuI4z4WTH7qkOcBTesn0uspEggupfek3ynOfN7JGx7gDHE35XM6xLazLK6eR4/s1600-h/nelsc-4web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGEozmkqBK9iKbppB-MSzkDIZFG42CR70E7HZyEAt9N4gQkLZe1PpesQobTqnspCIRvbW3k_BxHokcfufuI4z4WTH7qkOcBTesn0uspEggupfek3ynOfN7JGx7gDHE35XM6xLazLK6eR4/s400/nelsc-4web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328305684541938802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />The NE Lau spreading center is located on a spreading ridge in a back arc basin and its eruption would represent the first documented eruption in this setting. Our first clues that unusual activity was taking place along this volcanic ridge were the observations of clouds of particles (plumes) rising 800-1000 m above the sea floor. These plume rise heights are a strong indicator of seafloor eruptions, and, as at W. Mata, the plumes contained elevated levels of hydrogen and high concentrations of volcanic glass shards. This site differs from West Mata in that it is part of a semi-continuous system of back-arc “spreading centers” that have been forming in the Lau Basin as the result of the subducting plate to the east pulling away from the Australian plate to the west. These spreading centers generate new ocean crust just as happens along the globe-encircling Mid-Ocean Ridge, but we know little about the volcanic and hydrothermal systems that drive their formation and the biologic systems that feed off the hot hydrothermal effluent. This expedition will be the first to investigate a newly erupted site on a back-arc spreading center where the geologic and biologic “clock” has been “reset” by an eruption, and, like similar studies at the Mid-Ocean Ridge over the past 20 years, we will very likely be surprised and excited by what we will find.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxaV9-5JJWDH5nC2bE7y2SQUUwQqokzTQCtnDvxnpolxT-tBaAgwl7OaIjcBVLo-L0qRuOFOOoDhq_hGBUHuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;">3-D fly-through over Northeast Lau Basin. The EM300 bathymetry (colored) were collected on the November expedition. The data are 1.5 times vertically exaggerated. The fly-through starts at the southern end of the NELSC heading north along the spreading center. Then the flight zooms in on West Mata, approached from the south and then circling around to the north. The final image is looking from the north toward the south.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7750884519515358089.post-31533876287608519962009-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:48:36.095-07:00Partipating OrganizationsThis project is a joint venture between the National Science Foundation (<a href="http://www.ridge2000.org/">Ridge 2000</a> and <a href="http://www.nsf-margins.org/">Margins</a>) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (<a href="http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/">Ocean Exploration</a> and the <a href="http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/">Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory</a>). It is a community-wide effort that involves multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary discovery and hypothesis testing that meets the goals of each of these programs. A wide range of scientific disciplines are involved in this project including macro- and micro-biologists, rock chemists, water chemists, geophysicists, volcanologists, and oceanographers. Scientists working at many organizations will participate at sea and ashore. The scientists working at sea come from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Marine Biological Lab, Pennsylvania State University, Portland State University, Western Washington University, University of Washington, Oregon Sate University, the University of Hawaii, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Scientists participating in a shore-based capacity are from <st1:placename st="on">Harvard</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype>, <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">California</st1:placename>, <st1:city st="on">Santa Cruz</st1:city>, <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Michigan</st1:placename>, <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Tulsa</st1:placename></st1:place>, and Moss Landing Marine Laboratory.<o:p></o:p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com