Deepest hydrothermal vents in the Gulf of California

During a recent expedition to the Gulf of California scientists from MBARI discovered a new field of hydrothermal vents, the deepest yet discovered in the Gulf of California. These new hydrothermal vent fields were found over thirty-eight hundred meters below the surface in the Pescadero Basin, located off the east coast of Mexico’s Baja California, about one hundred miles east of La Paz. These hydrothermal vents result from a unique combination of geology and chemistry. Using a remotely operated vehicle, researchers found towering white columns emitting geysers of clear shimmering liquid with temperatures up to 290 degrees Celsius. The superheated water flowing from these vents starts deep underground. As the hot water rises, it flows through and reacts with the surrounding bedrock, becoming saturated with carbonate minerals, which build up over time to form the large chimneys that were observed.