hydrothermal vents- course world（热液喷口,当然世界）（7页）.docVIP

Hydrothermal Vents The discovery of hydrothermal vents occurred in the late 1970s when it was realized that vents were really just a part of the mid-ocean ridge systems.? It was through the use of the deep diving vessel Alvin that scientists had their first look at the vents.? There was no way to anticipate what oceanographers would find in their early deep dives along ridge crests.?? Currently we talk about black smokers and giant tube worms and hydrothermal vents in general as if they had been discovered decades ago. Yet, hardly 25 or so years have passed since these structures were first viewed under the sea. The PowerPoint slides that will be shown in class today describe best the features and properties of submarine vents.?? Therefore please download the file now or soon so that we may visit the vents together.? See also the Nova web site dealing with the Abyss. Here are some principal characteristics of hydrothermal vents. They are located along mid ocean ridges (both Pacific and the Atlantic, but more interest has been shown in the Pacific vents. The vents release large volumes of hot water; the temperature of the out-flowing water can be higher than 400C. Under the deep pressure of the ocean water will not boil.? The hot water circulating within the vent plumbing reacts with the rocks and thus dissolution occurs. The composition of the water that is vented is very different from that of seawater. Generally it is? enriched in metallic sulfides such as iron or copper sulfide. When these sulfide rich waters mix with the surrounding ocean water, the metal sulfides precipitate to form a smoke or plume of particles. These particles fall back to the seabed and slowly accumulate around the vent hole or region forming a chimney--many of chimneys are dark or black in color and hence they are called black smokers. Throughout the vent region an amazing array of organisms have developed. These organisms gain there energy (food) from sulfide using bacteria that grow withi