Pacific Ocean Archives - Astrobiology

The Alvin is pictured sampling the P hydrothermal vent, which is an underwater volcano that forms at spreading and converging plate boundaries that spews out hot water that’s been heating underneath the earth’s crust. -- University of Delaware

Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

University of Delaware Robotics Study The Depths Of Earth’s Ocean

by Keith CowingMarch 23, 2026March 23, 2026

From the East Pacific Rise in the Pacific Ocean to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment led the […]

New benchmark AX-403 was deployed at the base of the western caldera wall of the Axial Seamount volcano. This photo was taken during the ROV Jason dive J2-1432 of the Axial Seamount Cruise, June 19 to July 2, 2022 from the R/V Thompson. Public Domain. Original photo courtesy of NOAA via USGS larger image

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Methanothermococcus jasoni sp. nov., A Novel Thermophilic Methanogen From Subseafloor Hydrothermal Vent Fluids Of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2026March 10, 2026

Low-temperature (34 °C) hydrothermal fluid was collected from Axial Seamount along the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

A conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) rosette used to sample water from the ocean’s twilight zone during a GEOTRACES expedition in the Pacific Ocean. Credit Alex Fox

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean World Update: Deep-sea Discovery Shines Light On Life In The Twilight Zone

by Keith CowingSeptember 30, 2024September 29, 2024

The ocean’s twilight zone is deep, dark, and — according to new research — iron deficient. No sunlight reaches this region 200 to 1,000 meters below the sea surface, where […]

ROV SuBastian takes water and chemical samples from a black smoker hydrothermal vent in the Iguanas Vent Field, Galapagos Islands. Iguanas Vent Field, Galapagos Islands (Image made at 1650.23 meters depth).

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Hydrothermal Vent Found In The Iguanas Vent Field, Galapagos Islands

by Keith CowingNovember 12, 2023November 12, 2023

Scientists on a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition have discovered a new hydrothermal vent field larger than a professional soccer field. The vent field found in the Pacific Ocean off the […]

Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) and exploration mining contract areas, both active and reserved, are shown in outline. The type localities of all species described from the CCZ to date are also shown (185 in total). Background layer: the GEBCO Grid, 2022. -- Current Biology

Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Societal Issues, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Deep Sea Surveys Detect Over Five Thousand New Species In Future Mining Hotspot

by Keith CowingMay 28, 2023May 26, 2023

There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean—about twice the size of India—called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for […]