Cold-Water Volcanic Vent Discovered
By Angela Messina, February 9, 2013 @ 10:46 AM (EST)
Source: LiveScience
An underwater volcanic vent was discovered by researchers from England’s National Oceanography Centre at Southampton. The vent was found at a depth of 3,900 feet by a camera towed behind a research vessel in the Southern Ocean north of Antarctica.
The vent differs from more common hydrothermal vents because it releases cold rather than hot water. It also has elevated levels of lithium, boron, and calcium, causing it to appear to shimmer as the water is released.
A chimney formation was also found surrounding the vent, suggesting that it once released hot water and possibly harbored living organisms.
Read more here.
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