Pele, the sacred living deity of Hawai‘i’s volcanoes, controls the limitless power of creation through her perseverance, molten strength, and unearthly beauty.

The low-temperature vents of Kama'ehuakanaloa Seamount are characterized as iron-rich and the fluids support thick microbial mats of iron-oxidizing bacteria. Deep within the volcano, seawater is heated and leaches metals from the rock. Kama'ehuakanaloa is made of basalt, a dark ultramafic rock that is known to support life in aqueous environments. 

At this site, we are interested in the microbial community of the fluids. We are studying the primary producers in this community, looking at which microbes are more active, and what they are doing. We are also interested in what the primary sources of nutrients and energy are for this community of subsurface life.