Zone
5: Why is Earth habitable?
Scientists theorize that some of the first forms of life emerged around volcanic
vents along the ocean floor, and these microbes flourished in the absence
of sunlight by getting energy from the chemical compounds billowing out of
these vents. Remarkable tower-like sulfide "chimneys" grow where hot water
flows from the sea floor in areas where new oceanic crust is being created
by the forces of plate tectonics. HoPE features the first
hot and "live" sulfide chimneys ever collected,
which come from a depth of 7,300 feet from the Juan De Fuca Ridge,
about 200 miles off the Coast of Washington and British Columbia. This collection
was made by an expedition conducted jointly by the Museum and the University
of Washington. For more information, visit our Black
Smoker Expedition website.
Linking directly with
the Hall's section on Earth's evolution, this zone also focuses on how our
planet sustains life and controls its surface environment. Visitors can explore
biogeochemical cycles, such as the carbon cycle, through an interactive
video where the user can increase or decrease
pollution by building factories or planting trees, learn how carbon is taken
up and stored in different parts of the Earth, and discover how disturbing
the Earth systems affect the global climate. This section of the Hall also
features an ore garden
-- a group of spectacular specimens that were collected specifically
to illustrate how ores form. These include rare samples from South African
gold and platinum mines, as well as massive sulfide ores from Canada formed
in the ocean 2.8 billion years ago.
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