The Science Of Hydrothermal Vents

The Science of Hydrothermal Vents

written by:  Michael J Leach

While much of the seafloor is relatively
calm and stable, the areas at tectonic
plate boundaries are far from it.
The same forces that create and destroy
sections of the Earth’s crust produce
volcanoes, hydrothermal vents,
geologic hazards, and more.

These phenomena range from beautiful
and benign to                 potentially deadly,
and, like everything else miles
below the surface,
much remains
unknown to scientists.

‘Nautilus’ hosts scientists studying
all facets of marine geology,
all trying to better
understand the mysteries
of the Earth.
The processes that form
hydrothermal vents are complicated,

beginning when water is forced
beneath the Earth’s crust.
It is superheated by tectonic forces
and loaded with chemicals before
jetting back out into the open ocean.
Those chemicals precipitate in
the cold ocean water to form
beautiful
chimneys
and spires.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

This poem was found amidst scientific information on the Nautilus Live website:
Ocean Exploration Trust, Inc. n.d., The Science of Deep Sea Exploration, Old Lyme, Connecticut, viewed 27 May 2018.

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• About
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Michael J. Leach

Michael J. Leach lives on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Australia. Michael’s poems reside in journals such as Cordite, anthologies such as The Best Australian Science Writing 2024 (NewSouth Publishing), and his books Chronicity (MPU), Natural Philosophies (RWP), and Rural Ecologies (ICOE Press). A fourth book, Chords in the Soundscapes, is forthcoming from Ginninderra Press. Michael’s poems have received recognition: first place in the UniSA Mental Health and Wellbeing Poetry Competition, commended in the Hippocrates Prize, joint first place and longlisted in the poetry category of the MSB Confidence Writing Competition, shortlisted in the poetry category of the Woollahra Digital Literary Award, highly commended and longlisted in the Liquid Amber Poetry Prize, longlisted in the UC Health Poetry Prize, and highly commended in the Hush Foundation Kindness in Healthcare Writing Prize.

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