| The sulfide minerals that precipitate out of the hydrothermal solutions venting from black smokers are metal-bearing (copper, zinc, manganese, etc.). When these tiny minerals settle out of the water around the chimney, they create metal-rich (metaliferous) sediments that appear shiny in this image. Toward the bottom of photograph you can also see the tip of the submersible ALVIN. This picture was taken at the Main Endeavor Hydrothermal Vent Field on the Endeavor Segment of the mid-ocean ridge at 47¡57' N, 129¡6' W by cameras mounted on the hull of the ALVIN. (© WHOI-J.R. Delaney, principal investigator, University of Washington, pictures taken by cameras mounted on hull of the ALVIN.) |
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