Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Gorda Ridge
Hydrothermal Vents at Gorda Ridge
At Gorda Ridge, clear high temperature fluids vent from off-axis chimlets (small hydrothermal chimneys). These fluids support microbial life including a diverse array of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
Octopus Springs
Near the off-axis vent site, an octopus garden was thriving in low-temperature diffuse vents emanating from the rocks on the seafloor. These octopuses were brooding clutches of eggs in the warm waters.
Microcolonizers
Microcolonizers were deployed atop the Mt Edwards vent site. These colonizers contained mineral substrates with iron and sulfur and were designed to attract microbes from the subsurface fluids.
What Does Gorda Ridge Have to Do With Astrobiology?
Ocean Worlds May Harbor Similar Environments
Hydrothermal vents may exist on Ocean Worlds like Enceladus or Europa. These environments could support life that use similar energy sources or carbon sources, so understanding life on Earth helps us predict if life can exist on other worlds. It also helps us predict what types of life we might expect at sites like vents.
At Gorda Ridge, microbial life is supported by water-rock reactions deep in the subsurface and at the seafloor. Many of these microbes are supported by reactions with elements such as sulfur and iron and reduced gases like methane and molecular hydrogen. We are trying to understand which microbes are present, which ones are active and what are they doing, which ones are the primary producers of this ecosystem, and which microbes are the predators.
Learn More
Want to find out more about Astrobiology and Gorda Ridge? Email astrosmith73@yahoo.com.
