On its inaugural expedition, Falkor (too) will head to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with Chief Scientist Dr. David Butterfield from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory – University of Washington, and his team to search for hydrothermal lost cities. In 2000, scientists found a hydrothermal vent system on the Atlantis Massif unlike any seen before. Ghostly towers made of limestone sprang from the seafloor, spewing clear liquid, and very few creatures dwelled among the vents. When the scientists sampled the chemistry, they found it vastly different from black smoker vents on the nearby Mid-Atlantic Ridge volcanoes. The scientists named the new, alkaline vent system, “Lost City.” They determined the reaction creating this new type of vent occurs on a geologic formation known as an oceanic core complex, where mantle rock is exposed to cold seawater. These carbonate vents form when the seawater and mantle rock react in a process known as serpentinization.
Since 2000, scientists have discovered only a few other vents like Lost City, and none that rival the size of the original. During this expedition, Butterfield and his team will search for more vent fields like Lost City— alkaline vents created by serpentinization.
More about the research HERE.
