Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have identified a new type of ocean ridge that is spreading so slowly that Earth's mantle is exposed over large regions of the sea floor ...

The human-occupied vehicle Alvin, during a dive on the East Pacific Rise, collected samples and recovered instruments placed at the vents during previous expeditions. Woods Hole, Mass (October 13, ...

The origin of mid-ocean ridge segmentation—the systematic along-axis variation in tectonic and magmatic processes—remains controversial. It is commonly assumed that mantle flow is a passive response ...

Less than a century ago, people expected the ocean floor to be as featureless as the surface of the water above. However, underwater explorations revealed quite the opposite: towering mid-oceanic ...

ABSTRACTBlack smokers are the dramatic result of seawater being heated to high temperatures (generally 250° to 350°C) by magmatic systems, then discharging at the seafloor. However, not all seawater ...