II. Discovery of Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps
The discovery of chemosynthetic communities at hydrothermal vents (Corliss
et al. 1979) and cold seeps (Paull et al. 1984) was largely a result of
advanced technology that increased human access to deep sea habitats. Hydrothermal
vents were first suspected to exist after hot water 'spikes' were detected
near the sea floor at abyssal depths (Lonsdale 1977). The actual discovery
of vents and seeps occurred during dives of manned submersibles (Corliss
et al. 1979, Paull et al. 1984). Later discoveries of such sites have come
about from direct observations of the sea floor using manned or unmanned
submersibles (i.e. remotely operated vehicles or ROVs), and we now suspect that
cold seeps are a common component of continental borderlands, where fluid
flow through the continental crust may be controlled by various processes.
Next - Section III. Cold Seeps in Monterey
Bay
Cold Seep Communities Table of Contents
