volcanoes the architects of our planet
they have forged over 80 percent of the
earth’s surface
of the 1500 active volcanoes worldwide
up to 85
erupt each year
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recycling minerals from deep within the
earth’s crust
they nourish our land with ash creating
some of the most fertile plains on earth
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but incredibly most eruptions are hidden
from sight beneath the waves
these hidden volcanoes are most abundant
along the pacific ocean’s ring of fire a
forty thousand kilometer long belt of
tectonic boundaries
in the darkness of the deep water gushes
through cracks in the earth’s crust
known as deep sea vents
superheated by magma they erupt with
mineral-rich water
forming chimneys up to 18 stories tall
the crushing pressure extreme
temperatures
and total darkness may seem too hostile
for life
but incredibly these vents have created
oases in the deserts of the deep
from cannibal crabs
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to giant snails life here has found a
way to thrive amongst the toxic plumes
and it’s all thanks to the smallest
residents
bacteria
uniquely able to source energy not from
the sun
like plants but from chemicals within
the vent fluid
they create food for the entire vent
community
powered by billions of bacteria living
within them
giant tube worms are one of the fastest
growing animals on the planet
clinging to the vent towers in great
colonies
these ocean oddities shield themselves
from the toxic fluids with armor
these creatures might seem alien to us
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but it’s now thought that vents like
these could be the birthplace of all
life on earth
unlocking the secrets of earth’s deep
seas could provide
clues to life elsewhere in the universe
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