New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2005

The New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2005 (NZASRoF'05) Expedition explored active submarine volcanoes in the Kermadec Arc, located north of New Zealand, with a pair of manned submersibles. This is a subduction zone where tectonic plates converge and a chain of restless volcanoes is formed along the boundary. The dive sites chosen were at volcanoes that showed evidence of having vigorous seafloor hot springs. This evidence comes from previous New Zealand / American expeditions to the area that mapped the seafloor and surveyed the ocean above each volcano for signs of hydrothermal plumes. Seafloor hot springs are dynamic environments where heat and chemicals from inside volcanoes are vented into the ocean and support unique biological communities. Most of the dive sites have never been visited before and so the potential for exciting discoveries was high.