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Article: Ocean floor "potholes" caused by lava bubbles.(Spectrum)
- Article from:
- Environment
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Thousands of feet below the surface of the Pacific, along a massive volcanic mountain range called the mid-ocean ridge, much of the ocean floor is pock-marked with jagged-edged semi-circular holes and collapsed pits of varying sizes. Conventional wisdom holds that the pits form as the lava erupts, then pools and hardens on the surface as the lava's molten interior drains away. However, in the past, the potholes were observed relatively far from the volcanic vents, and some geologists doubted that the lava, despite reaching temperatures greater than 2,000[degrees]F, could boil the seawater because of the intense pressure at such great depths. In research reported in the 6 ...