Articles tagged with Sea Floor
Scientists from Japan, Canada, and the US conclude a 1700 Japan tsunami was caused by a magnitude 9 North American earthquake. Computer simulations reveal the Cascadia subduction zone can produce such a massive earthquake, posing a threat to coastal regions.
Researchers discovered that rapid lava eruption traps seawater, heating it to form steam bubbles trapped under glassy crusts. These findings support a subsurface biosphere and could alter lava flow dynamics.
Researchers investigate how La Jolla and Scripps Canyons near San Diego impact waves, currents, and beaches. The study uses a multidisciplinary approach with sensors, aircraft, and autonomous underwater vehicles to gather data on the dynamic nearshore environment.
A new study has found that mobile magma plumes, rather than stationary hotspots, are responsible for the formation of islands and subsurface mountains in the Pacific Ocean. This discovery challenges traditional theories of tectonic movement and sheds light on climate changes recorded in ancient rocks.
Researchers suggest that hydrothermal vent systems like Lost City could have supported early life due to their stability and chemical composition. The systems' ability to produce heat, minerals, and organic compounds for millions of years may have improved the chances for life to emerge and be sustained.
Scientists used an autonomous underwater vehicle to map two deepwater coral reefs, discovering well-developed reefs with nearly 100% living coral cover. The study provides new insights into the structure and composition of deeper coral reefs, which are essential for protecting commercial fisheries.
Scientists from NSF and DFG present striking new results from the Gakkel Ridge research cruise, which contradicts expectations of volcanic activity. The slowest spreading rate was found to have higher levels of volcanic activity than predicted, highlighting the importance of other factors in crust formation.
Researchers found microorganisms in seafloor samples from the Juan de Fuca plate, suggesting a microbial incubator of global proportions. The discovery challenges current understanding of oceanic crust and its potential for supporting life.
Scientists have discovered a hydrothermal siphon connecting two seamounts in the northeast Pacific, allowing water to flow northward over 50 kilometers. This phenomenon has significant implications for understanding heat flow through the crust, ocean chemistry, and microbial communities living on the ocean floor.
Marine geologist Peter Rona describes a metal-rich mound, two-and-a-half miles under the Atlantic Ocean, composed of copper, iron, zinc, gold, and silver. The ocean's crust is cracked into plates that allow heat and materials to escape, creating habitats and energy for microbes that can be used in various applications.
Researchers found microorganisms thriving in deep-sea crust without consuming organic molecules, processing CO2 and inorganic compounds instead. The discovery challenges our understanding of the origins and diversity of life on Earth.
Paul Dayton, a renowned marine ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has received the Diving Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking research on coastal and estuarine habitats. His work, including over 500 dives in Antarctica, has significantly advanced our understanding of Antarctic undersea ecology.
Researchers found that small-magnitude earthquakes and micro-cracking in a region called the process zone precede propagation, followed by nucleation of the rift axis and upwelling of magma. This new understanding can be applied to more complex rift settings in oceans and continents.
David Bottjer discovered that messier sediments held more advanced animal remains, suggesting churned conditions led to environmental pressure and evolutionary changes. This finding supports the idea that 'sod busters' accelerated the Cambrian explosion of new life forms by forcing earlier animals to adapt to harsh environments.
A team led by Tim Kusky has discovered the world's first large intact pieces of oceanic mantle from the planet's earliest period, dating back 2.5 billion years. The findings suggest that plate tectonics began shifting more than 500 million years earlier than previously believed.
Researchers at Columbia University have discovered a correlation between earthquakes and ocean tides, with seismic activity increasing during tidal lows. This study suggests that the seafloor crust is breathing with the ocean tides, allowing for regular tidal scheduling of seismic energy release.
The University of California, Berkeley, has deployed a first permanent broadband earthquake monitor in Monterey Bay, which will measure earthquake activity from the ocean side of the fractured fault zone. The instrument aims to reveal new information about seismic activity on the Pacific Plate and improve understanding of earthquakes.
Recent URI study reveals two oceanic provinces of deeply buried microbial activity, with high activity found along continental margins where methane and sulfate intersect. Microbial respiration rates differ vastly between open-ocean and continental margin environments.
Geologists at Rice University have located the intersection of the Nubian, Somalian and Antarctic plates within a 100-kilometer-wide region known as the Andrew Bain Fracture Zone Complex. The research provides new insights into the relationship between African plates, including the tectonic processes that created the East African Rift.
Researchers from Texas A&M University embark on a voyage to understand the abundance and diversity of deep-sea microbes, estimated to number between 10-30% of Earth's biota. The JOIDES Resolution drillship samples cores containing these microbes from previously drilled sites in the eastern equatorial and southeast Pacific.
Researchers propose that the continents emerged suddenly over 200 million years ago, coinciding with the formation of supercontinent Rodinia. This theory suggests that changes in plate tectonics may have triggered evolutionary activity and influenced life's evolution.
Researchers found that shipping-related imposex substances are not always transported to the seabed in stratified water. Instead, the harmful substance TBT, which causes imposex, is unable to sink through the boundaries between seawater layers.
A study suggests that a massive release of frozen methane from ocean sediments may have warmed the prehistoric Earth around 55 million years ago. The researchers propose that similar scenarios could occur in the future if oceans warm substantially, highlighting the importance of considering multiple greenhouse gases beyond carbon dioxide.
The Antarctic seafloor core suggests that Earth's orbital oscillations may be the key to controlling ice ages. The core shows regular intervals of ice sheet advances and retreats during a 400,000-year period, matching Milankovitch cycles.
A team of scientists will explore the Gulf of Mexico's extreme environments, including brine pools and cold seeps, to better understand their role in global warming. They will collect samples and study microbial processes to gain insights into methane oxidation and nutrient concentrations.
A meta-analysis of 39 impact studies reveals that bottom fishing gear types significantly affect sediment organism disturbance. Inter-tidal dredging causes the most negative impact, followed by scallop and inter-tidal raking.
University of Delaware scientists, including Craig Cary, embark on the first deep-sea dive of the new century to explore extreme organisms and understand life's origins. They will collect samples of toxic chemicals, organisms, rocks, and minerals using special instruments like deep-sea sensors.
Scientists at Oregon State University have found evidence of rock-eating microbes living nearly a mile beneath the ocean floor, which could suggest similar life on Mars or other planets. The discovery suggests that conditions similar to those on Mars exist beneath the ocean floor and could support life.
Researchers have developed a system that detects trace amounts of TNT in seafloor sludge, enabling the identification of unexploded bombs. This technology could save time and resources in cleaning up sites contaminated with live explosives.
Seismologists capture detailed images of deep underground processes at mid-ocean ridges, revealing melting rock flows up in a broad zone rather than a narrow plume. This new data represents a major step forward in understanding Earth's crust formation and volcanic activity.
A zone of high-grade copper ore has been found on the Pacific floor, a discovery that could lead to similar valuable deposits on land. The finding is attributed to a deep-sea exploration project led by UC Davis geologist Robert Zierenberg.
Scientists have mapped a previously uncharted area of the Southwest Indian Ridge, revealing a steepest underwater cliff ever recorded. The discovery may shed new light on the origins of primitive life forms, with some biologists suggesting that hydrothermal vents could hold the key to life's beginnings.
A revised ocean depth model developed by Northwestern University geologists significantly better fits observed data, correcting inconsistencies in existing models. By adjusting the assumed thickness of the lithosphere to 95 kilometers, the new model accurately predicts ocean depths surrounding the Hawaiian Islands.
A significant reservoir of methane and hydrocarbons has been discovered in rock beneath the ocean floor, potentially supporting a wide range of microorganisms. The findings, presented by University of Washington oceanographer Deborah Kelley, suggest that these microbes may thrive on chemicals toxic to other life forms.
A recent National Science Foundation-funded research expedition discovered two new hot springs on the seafloor, reactivating an ancient hydrothermal system. The site provides an unprecedented opportunity for scientists to study the life cycle of a seafloor hot spring and its associated biological community.