Black smokers, East Pacific Rise 21 N
At 21 degrees north on the crest of the East Pacific Rise, about 2,600 metres down, the RISE expedition of 1979 found the first 'black smokers': chimneys of metal sulfides jetting water at about 380 degrees C, with tube worm and clam communities like those of the Galapagos vents.
Dated events and their evidence
- 1978 CE mainstream
French CYANA dives at 21 N on the CYAMEX expedition find massive sulfide deposits on the sea floor, presumed to come from hydrothermal activity not yet seen source - 1979 CE mainstream
March to May: the RISE expedition, led by Fred Spiess and Ken Macdonald, finds vents with Alvin jetting black water at about 380 degrees C from sulfide chimneys, the first black smokers source - 1980 CE mainstream
Spiess and colleagues report in Science that the hottest springs build massive sulfide deposits and the cooler ones support tube worm, clam and crab communities like those at the Galapagos source
Where
20.8500° N, 109.0667° W
The point is 20 deg 51' N 109 deg 04' W, the collection site of a black smoker chimney sample taken by Alvin on dive 1156 in 1981 (Commons file 'Sample of massive sulfide deposit from EPR.jpg'); the RISE source places the site at 21 deg N, about 200 km south of Baja California.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RISE_project
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.207.4438.1421
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal_vent
Each event carries Aion's own evidence grade (mainstream, disputed or speculative). This page repeats what the globe shows for this place.