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NeMO Date: July 9, 2000
Ship's Location: 45 55.7'N/129 59.0'W

 
         
         
  Science Report:
Today ROPOS was in the water for about 20 hours during dive 548. This dive was multidisciplinary as usual but one component was taking precise pressure measurements at four new benchmark locations inside and outside Axial's caldera. The pressure measurements give us the relative depths of each benchmark within a few centimeters. The aim of these measurements is to determine if the benchmarks inside the caldera are being uplifted (a sign of magma accumulating below) relative to sites outside the caldera. This is the first year of these measurements , which will be repeated in future years.

The dive also visited the southernmost hydrothermal vent site we have found on the 1998 lava flow (Bag City), and it was found to still be vigorously venting with tube worm communities thriving. So while we have found that the vent sites at the northern end of the 98 flow have cooled off since last year, it appears that sites in the south are still going strong.

 


Tube worms (Ridgeia piscesae) with yellow limpets (Lepetodrilus fucensis) and brown scale worms (Polynoid) at Bag City Vent, still venting strongly.


Crab attached to the NeMO Net 1999 camera mooring, due to surface tomorrow.