ASHES
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The ASHES vent field is located in the SW part of Axial caldera, within about 100 m of the caldera wall. ASHES is a long-lived high-temperature hydrothermal vent site that was first discovered in 1984. Within a 100 x 100 m area there are 4 large sulfide chimneys (3-5 m high) and many smaller chimneys and areas of diffuse venting colonized by vent animals. One interesting aspect of ASHES is that the vent fluids there are hot enough to be "phase separated". This means that they actually boil beneath the seafloor, and a vapor phase becomes separated from a brine phase, each with very different chemistry. At this water depth (1540 m) the boiling temperature for seawater is 348°C. More ... |
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