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Image credit: Jenny Paduan © 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Explosive
volcanism in the deep sea"
Limu o Pele is the Hawaiian name for thin, translucent fragments
of volcanic glass that represent the shattered fragments of lava
bubbles. Such gas-filled bubbles were once thought to form only
in shallow water, where seawater contacts hot lava, forming
steam. However, MBARI
researchers recently observed Limu o Pele in volcanic rocks that
erupted in the deep ocean, as much as 4,200 meters (over two and
a half miles) below the surface.
Image credit: © 2003 MBARI;
sonar image by U.S. Geological Survey
Image for: "Explosive
volcanism in the deep sea"
The North Arch volcanic field
(highlighted in red) is
a thin but extensive lava flow that formed after the main
island-forming volcanic eruptions on the Hawaiian island of
Oahu. Unlike "late-stage" eruptions on land, this
submarine flow field involves very large
quantities of lava. Areas of hard sea-bottom,
such as lava fields, reflect sound better than areas covered
by thick sediment, and appear lighter in this
sonar image prepared by the U.S.
Geological Survey.
Image credit:
© 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Finding jellies in
marine snow"
This pair of images shows a single
frame from an MBARI video taken during a survey of midwater
animals. The upper image shows a barely visible siphonophore (middle) and a jelly
(lower left). The lower image shows this same frame, in which
the computer has picked out these animals from among the marine snow
and debris, even though they are barely visible to
the untrained eye. Note: These images have been enhanced for
publication. The original frame is darker and has even less
contrast.
Image
credit: Gary
Greene
© 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Dating
underwater landslides"
This colored bathymetric map shows the
"Goleta Slide," a very large underwater landslide just
west of Santa Barbara, in Southern California. Call-outs show
the different sections of the slide, some of which may have
failed at different times. To get an idea of the size of this
slide, consider that the scale bar at lower right is two
kilometers (1.25 miles) long.
Image credit:
© 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Rocks
that grow overnight"
These hydrothermal chimneys in the Guaymas Basin of the Gulf of
California, Mexico were photographed by MBARI's remotely operated
vehicle Tiburon. The "smoke" is composed of
small mineral particles coming out of solution when hot
hydrothermal fluids contact cold seawater.
Image credit:
© 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Rocks
that grow overnight"
This hydrothermal chimney in the Guaymas Basin of the Gulf of
California grew by one meter (about three feet) in 24 hours. The
tube coming out the right side of the chimney leads to an MBARI
monitoring instrument, which was encased in solid rock.
Image credt: © 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Rocks
that grow overnight"
MBARI's remotely operated vehicle Tiburon retrieved this fragment
of a hydrothermal vent from the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of
California. The melon-sized piece of sulfide encased an MBARI
instrument just four days after it was deployed. The instrument,
a thermocouple array, recorded temperatures of fluids inside the
vent and within its rock walls, while the vent grew around it.
Image credit:
© 2003 MBARI
Image for: "Rocks
that grow overnight"
These unique undersea images show the growth of a hydrothermal
chimney in the Guaymas Basin of the Gulf of California. The
two photographs were taken about 2 months apart. As the chimney
grew, it encased a fluid sampler, which was installed at
the site to measure the
chemical properties of water within the chimney walls. In the
left-hand photo, you can see the recently-installed sampler
hanging off the side of the chimney. In the right-hand image, all
you can see is a hose at the lower end of the sampler; the rest
of the sampler has been encased in solid rock.
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