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Article: Hot Spots Under the Sea.(undersea vent ecology)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Highlights for Children
- Article date:
- August 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Highlights for Children, Inc. 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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Strange things happen under the ocean
Dr. John Baross lowers his body into a tiny submarine called the Alvin. As always, he feels a tingle of excitement. He is bound for one of the hot springs that lie along a mountain range called the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Near Canada's Vancouver Island, this ridge lies one and one-half miles under the surface of the ocean. "Today," he thinks, "may be the day that I find some new form of life."
All along the Juan de Fuca, cracks in the ocean floor allow water to seep deep down into the Earth's crust. The ocean water is heated as it trickles down over hot rocks and then is forced back up through hot springs.
The ...