Deep Sea Microbes - Methane
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Sponges colonizing carbonates from a dormant methane seep site, Eel River Basin, California. (V. Orphan)
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View from inside Alvin of carbonate pavement and boulders in an area of methane seepage from Hydrate Ridge, Oregon, 700 meters deep. (V. Orphan)
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Mussels nestled within exposed carbonate mound in an active methane seep. Costa Rica Margin, 1,000 meter water depth. (V. Orphan)
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California Institute of Technology geobiology class on a field trip to a paleo-methane seep outcrop in Panoche Hills, California. These ancient seep carbonates are Cretaceous-aged (~100-66 million years ago), extend nearly 20 kilometers and are approximately 200 meters thick in some areas. (V. Orphan)