This video shows just some of the stunning imagery captured by the high definition cameras on the Little Hercules ROV on June 30, 2010 during the vehicles second dive down to Kawio Barat volcano. During the descent to the location where plumes were discovered the previous day, the ROV encounters white plumes of warm sulphur-rich water and follows the plumes to their vent source amongst volcanic rock. The rocks surrounding the vents are covered in white sulphur. Close up images of both yellow and black 'frozen' flows of sulphur are also shown: colour indicates the temperature when molten sulphur was extruded. Shrimp and limpets live among the strands of yellow and black sulphur, and feed on the bacteria that grow near the vents. The latter portion of the video shows another hydrothermal area on Kawio Barat with a very dense population of stalked barnacles! These vent barnacles have filaments of bacteria growing on their feeding appendages; they retract the appendages to feed on the filaments. A sulfide chimney emitting hot water among a field of chimneys and barnacles as far as the eye could see is also shown; these chimneys are built from mineral precipitation when the hot vent fluids mix with seawater. Video courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010.
Related Links
Okeanos Explorer: INDEX 2010 Exploration
Okeanos Explorer: INDEX 2010 Exploration - June 30 Log
NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer Video Playlist
