The ecosystem was discovered in the previously studied area of ​​hydrothermal springs in volcanic cavities under the ocean floor. On the 30-day landmark expedition, Dr. from the University of Vienna. Monika Bright and an international team of scientists from the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Costa Rica and Slovenia.

amazing finds

We have long known about animals that live on land, in underground cavities and in the ocean – animals that live in sand and mud. But scientists have searched for animals under hydrothermal springs for the first time. This is a truly remarkable discovery of a new ecosystem hidden beneath another ecosystem, and it proves that life exists in incredible places.
– says the general director of the institute, Jyotika Virmani.

In the 1970s, scientists discovered hydrothermal springs here that pushed hot, mineral-rich fluids into the surrounding ocean water. Here you can find numerous “holes” resembling hollow stalagmites 10-12 meters high. The temperature here can reach up to 368 degrees Celsius.

An underwater robot takes a geological sample from a hydrothermal vent / Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Despite the darkness, life here continued with all its violence. With For decades, no one thought of looking at hot springs under the ocean.. Scientists lifting the crust of the seabed are under it saw a colorful ecosystem of worms, gastropods, crabs, and chemosynthetic bacteriaIt gets power not from sunlight, but from mineral substances.

With the help of a robotic arm, lattice boxes were placed on a cleared square over cracks in the earth’s crust. When the researchers then looked inside these boxes, they discovered many animals living under the burrows, confirming that the creatures came there from under the seafloor.

Area cleared with boxes / Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Thus, culverts have two dynamic habitats. Animals living above and below the surface thrive together in harmony, dependent on the fluid from below and the oxygen in the seawater above.

The giant tube worms Riftia pachyptila were of particular interest to scientists. These deep-sea creatures seem to travel under the seabed with volcanic fluids to colonize new habitats. This may explain why so few of their offspring can be seen clustered around deep volcanic fissures: most can grow below the surface.

Giant pipe worms Riftia pachyptila / Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

The results of these studies will be published in the coming months, but if what the researchers say is true, deep sea mining could seriously disrupt this ecosystem in the future. Scientists are calling for an immediate full survey of the ocean.

Underwater animals / Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Here’s what the cameras recorded underwater: video