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As night falls, lighting flashes over R/V Falkor and for an instant, it seems to be day again. The Indian Ocean has been very pleasant so far, but as we are in the tropics, rain and thunder are no surprise. During World Ocean’s Day, we have reached the western coast of Sumatra and sailed overnight … Continued

After successfully avoiding the typhoon, we begin the trip back to port to complete the rest of our loading. The return leg is a good opportunity to further test the on-board instruments whilst near the relative shelter of Guam. We escalate from simpler surface tests to deep dives, then on to sampling. This ensures we … Continued

Scattered along the barren ocean floor lie uncounted hydrothermal vent sites—oases of hot, chemical-rich, life-nurturing fluids. These oases are a submarine version of Yellowstone National Park. Cold seawater in deep cracks is heated by cooling magma, becomes buoyant, and rises to the seafloor. Instead of forming a warm pond, as at Yellowstone, the hot fluid … Continued

Most people have heard the Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, but how did it form and why is it there? Why are there two zones of active volcanism that parallel the trench, one a chain of shallow seamounts (underwater mountains) and the other within a line of deep basins? The answers are … Continued

The windshield wipers are working frantically as we drive towards the ship for the first time. A tropical storm is approaching Guam and this rain is the leading edge. Upon reaching the port, the storm is upgraded to a typhoon and we’re told by the coast guard that we’ll have to depart a day earlier … Continued