Near the summit of an underwater mountain west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, there is a striking landscape of towers rising from the depths. The jagged structures, with creamy carbonate walls and columns, take on a ghostly blue hue when illuminated by the light of a remotely operated vehicle sent to explore the underwater terrain.
The towers found near the summit of the underwater mountain west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge vary in height, ranging from small stacks resembling toadstools to grand monoliths standing at an impressive 60 meters (nearly 200 feet) tall. This unique underwater landscape is known as the Lost City.
Discovered by scientists in 2000, the Lost City Hydrothermal Field lies more than 700 meters (2,300 feet) beneath the ocean surface. It stands as the longest-lived venting environment known in the ocean, and nothing else similar has been found. This underwater site represents a unique and remarkable discovery in the scientific exploration of the ocean depths. underwater mountain west
For at least 120,000 years and maybe longer, the upthrusting mantle in this part of the world has reacted with seawater to puff hydrogen, methane, and other dissolved gases out into the ocean.
In the cracks and crevices of the field’s vents, hydrocarbons feed novel microbial communities even without the presence of oxygen.