A ragged panorama of towers rises from the darkness, at the top of an undersea mountain west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the light of an exploration vehicle deployed remotely, their creamy carbonate walls and columns take on a ghostly blue hue.
Small toadstool-sized stacks to a massive monolith reaching 60 metres (almost 200 feet) tall are among their various heights. The fabled lost city is this.
The “Lost City ” was dissolved by
The Lost City Hydrothermal Field, which was found by researchers in 2000 and is located more than 700 metres (2,300 feet) below the surface, is the ocean’s longest-lasting venting environment. It is unique and has never been matched.
In this region of the planet, the upthrusting mantle has been reacting with saltwater to push hydrogen, methane, and other dissolved gases into the ocean for at least 120,000 years and possibly longer.
Even in the absence of oxygen, hydrocarbons nourish unique microbial populations in the cracks and fissures of the field’s vents.
Existence Of sea Brutes
There are a lot of snails and crustaceans living in chimneys that emit gases that are as hot as 40 °C (104 °F). Eels, sea urchins, crabs, and other larger species are uncommon but still exist.
Researchers believe that the ecosystem is worth our attention and care since it looks to be teeming with life despite its severe conditions. Although there are certainly other hydrothermal fields like this one elsewhere in the waters of the world, so far only one has been discovered using remotely operated vehicles.
Release Of “Hydrocarbons”
The hydrocarbons emitted by the vents of the Lost City weren’t created by solar or atmospheric carbon dioxide, but rather by chemical processes on the deep bottom.
Since hydrocarbons are the basis for life, it is conceivable that life could have begun elsewhere besides our planet, possibly in a habitat similar to this one.
“Black Smokers” Precisely
Microbiologist William Brazelton told The Smithsonian in 2018 that this is an example of a type of ecosystem that might be active right now on Enceladus or Europa, the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. And perhaps Mars in the past.
The Lost City’s biology is independent of the heat of lava, unlike underwater volcanic vents known as “black smokers,” which have also been suggested as potential initial habitats.
Black smokers mostly create minerals rich in iron and sulphur, but the Lost City’s chimneys can produce up to 100 times more hydrogen and methane. The Lost City’s calcite vents are also a great deal bigger than black smokers, which suggests they’ve been operational for a longer period of time.
“Poseidon In Honour” Explained
The tallest monolith, which bears the name Poseidon in honour of the Greek deity of the sea, rises more than 60 metres above the ground. Just northeast of the tower, meanwhile, is a cliffside with short bursts of activity.
The vents in this area are described as “weeping” fluid and producing “clusters of delicate, multi-pronged carbonate growths that reach outward like the fingers of upturned hands,” according to researchers at the University of Washington.
Unfortunately, that strange terrain draws more than scientists. Poland was awarded the permission to mine the deep sea near The Lost City, it was revealed in 2018.
Conclusion
Although the thermal field itself contains no valuable minerals, the destruction of the city’s environs could have unexpected repercussions. Scientists caution that any plumes or discharges brought on by the mining might quickly wash across the unique ecology.
To preserve the natural beauty before it’s too late, some experts are urging that the Lost City be added to the World Heritage list. The Lost City has served as a monument to life’s tenacity for tens of thousands of years.
To damage it would be quite typical of us.
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