Rosebud Hydrothermal Vents - Galapagos Rift 2005

Just over a quarter-century ago, a discovery on the bottom of the eastern Pacific Ocean forever changed our understanding of our planet, and life on it. Thriving at deep-sea vents was a community of tubeworms, giant clams, white crabs, and other species never before seen by people. The hydrothermal vents and exotic organisms were first found in 1977 at the Galápagos Rift, located on a mid-ocean ridge about 250 miles from the Galápagos Islands. In 2002, researchers diving in the submersible Alvin discovered that sea-floor lava had paved over a hydrothermal vent site called the Rose Garden. The Rose Garden was gone, wiping out large communities of tubeworms, mussels, and other animals living there, but further exploration in Alvin revealed that life still flourished. A few hundred meters away, tiny animals had begun colonizing a new vent field in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption. These animal communities exist in a dark, volcanic undersea valley. Researchers named the new vent site Rosebud, for the young community of sea creatures found living there. This new field is located 2,600 meters (1.6 miles) below the ocean surface and is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide.