Scientists have discovered a surprising ecosystem beneath the seafloor with animals, like tube worms and snails, living in volcanic caves.
Researchers made this discovery during a month-long mission on a ship called “Falkor (too).”
They were exploring an underwater volcano near Central America, part of the East Pacific Rise. This area is where two large plates of Earth meet on the ocean floor. Hot water and magma mix in this region, creating underwater hot springs called hydrothermal vents.
Sea life, such as bacteria, mussels and tube worms, gathers around these vents. The chemicals released from the vents help animals survive in the deep ocean. While the surface of these vents has been studied, what lies beneath them was mostly unexplored until now.
Robotic exploration led to the discovery of a new ecosystem
Using a robotic vehicle called SuBastian, researchers explored the area under the vents. They found caves filled with large tube worms and other animals. Some of the tube worms were as long as 1.6 feet. This discovery suggests a connection between life on the seafloor and beneath it, showing that animals can live in both places.
The team first found this hidden ecosystem in the summer of 2023. Their study was published in Nature Communications. Marine biologist Dr. Sabine Gollner said they were trying to learn how animals move and spread. She called the discovery “mind-blowing,” as it shows animals living beneath the vents for the first time.
How animals colonize new vents
For years, scientists have been fascinated by life around hydrothermal vents. As Earth’s plates shift, new vents appear and animals like tube worms quickly take over these new spots.
Some research had hinted that life might exist below the ocean floor, but it wasn’t clear how tube worm larvae, which are very small, could move through the strong ocean currents to settle in cracks near the vents.
Dr. Gollner explained that tube worm larvae likely travel through cracks below the seafloor, carried by the warm fluid from the vents. This helps them reach the surface and grow into adults.
Using SuBastian to drill holes
Dr. Monika Bright, a professor at the University of Vienna, led a research expedition to explore life beneath the seafloor. Her team used mesh boxes to collect samples from cracks in the Earth’s crust, more than 8,200 feet deep.
The researchers used SuBastian to drill small holes into the rocks and flip them over. This revealed hidden spaces below the vents, filled with warm water and animals like tube worms, snails and bacteria.
Unlike life on land, the bacteria around the vents use chemicals, not sunlight, to create energy, supporting the other animals nearby.
Dr. Bright said this discovery shows that two habitats exist around the vents – one above the surface and one below. Both depend on the same vent fluids and oxygen from seawater to survive.
The research team now plans to see if life exists beneath all deep-sea hydrothermal vents and how far these caves stretch.
They stressed the importance of protecting not only the life on the surface but also what lies beneath it. Major drilling, like deep-sea mining, could change the vents’ paths and harm the animals that depend on them.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
