Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: NE Lau Basin

September 24: Large chimneys reaching 35-40 m in height at a site called Kakai Loloa, which translates to “tall people” in Tongan.
September 22: Jets of sulfur shooting out from holes in the sediment-covered seafloor at Niua North.
September 21: Seamount Eruptions: Windows to the Development of Hydrothermal Vent Biological Communities
September 20: Finding a needle-sized vent field on a volcano-sized haystack requires both experience and luck.
September 18: New Black Smokers Sampled at Niua South Volcano
September 15: Chemistry and Ecology at “Volcano O”
September 13: Hybrid Backarc Volcanoes Yield Unique Discoveries
September 12: Our Quest 4000 dive (Q322) to find iron- and manganese-oxidizing microbial mats proved to be a great success.
September 10: In Transit to Vai Lili
3D Fly-Throughs: Virtually explore volcanoes found in the NE Lau Basin.

September 9 - 26, 2012

Submarine Ring of Fire 2012: NE Lau Basin is the latest in a series of expeditions to explore the submarine volcanoes of the Western Pacific. An interdisciplinary team of 27 scientists and technical experts from the United States, New Zealand and Australia will work closely with a team from the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences from the University of Bremen (Federal Republic of Germany) to utilize the remotely operated vehicle Quest 4000 to explore and collect samples at volcanic vents and hot springs. Our primary objective will be to explore and to characterize the unique ecosystems in the NE Lau basin through examination of their geology, chemistry, and macro- and micro- biology. Read more...