MID-OCEAN RIDGE HOT SPRINGS
Hot springs are not confined to Yellowstone and other volcanos
on continents. Hot springs occur along all of the world's mid-ocean ridges, where hot lava
comes up from the mantle and forms new sea floor. These springs are homes to a complex ecology of
microbes and macrobiota, including tube worms, blind crabs, and fish. Dr. Tony Irving worked with
an expedition from the University of
Washington that retrieved some deposits from one of these hydrothermal
vents off of the Washington Coast. He brought pieces of this "black smoker" tube to examine.
