gov.noaa.ncei.oer:GalapagosRift2005 eng; USA utf8 collectionSession collection-level metadata NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact NCEI Contact Information Information for contacts at NCEI. information pointOfContact 2026-03-23T19:34:01 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009 Rosebud Hydrothermal Vents - Galapagos Rift 2005 2005 publication https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/oer-digital-atlas/mapsOE.htm OER Digital Atlas information pointOfContact NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research author NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information publisher Just over a quarter-century ago, a discovery on the bottom of the eastern Pacific Ocean forever changed our understanding of our planet, and life on it. Thriving at deep-sea vents was a community of tubeworms, giant clams, white crabs, and other species never before seen by people. The hydrothermal vents and exotic organisms were first found in 1977 at the Galápagos Rift, located on a mid-ocean ridge about 250 miles from the Galápagos Islands. In 2002, researchers diving in the submersible Alvin discovered that sea-floor lava had paved over a hydrothermal vent site called the Rose Garden. The Rose Garden was gone, wiping out large communities of tubeworms, mussels, and other animals living there, but further exploration in Alvin revealed that life still flourished. A few hundred meters away, tiny animals had begun colonizing a new vent field in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption. These animal communities exist in a dark, volcanic undersea valley. Researchers named the new vent site Rosebud, for the young community of sea creatures found living there. This new field is located 2,600 meters (1.6 miles) below the ocean surface and is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. Researchers used the Alvin submersible aboard the RV Atlantis to see how the animal communities have developed and what chemical, microbial and geological changes have occurred. They made detailed maps of the animal distributions, took high-resolution photographs to create photomosaics of the seafloor, sampled the animals and lava flows, as well as deployed time-lapse cameras, larval traps, and chemical sensors directly at the vents. They also searched for new animal communities and black-smoker vents along still unexplored areas of the Galápagos Rift. Scientist's built on the knowledge gained from previous expeditions to the Rosebud hydrothermal vent community to explore another nearby site called Mussel Bed. It has been 15 years since scientists visited Mussel Bed, and they are eager to see if-and how_the massive colonies of mussels have changed. Dr. Timothy Shank Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 508-289-3392 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Shank Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory 2-34/2-40 Redfield Laboratory, MS#33 Woods Hole MA 02543 USA tshank@whoi.edu principalInvestigator EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords 2025 revision 22 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute University of Minnesota The Institute for Genomic Research Rise/Abyss- Hydrothermal Vents (HTV) tubeworms hydrothermal vents Rose Garden giant clams deep-sea vents galapagos spreading center hydrothermal exploration hydrothermal activity volcanic Alvin R/V Atlantis mid-ocean ridge microbe theme expedition exploration explorer marine education noaa ocean ocean discovery ocean education ocean exploration ocean exploration and research ocean literacy ocean research science scientific research sea stewardship systematic exploration technology transformational research undersea underwater theme Galapagos Rift South Pacific Northeast South Pacific Pacific Ocean place otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Data use shall be credited to NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. No data access constraints, unless data are protected under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. eng; USA oceans -94.5 -89.5 1.5 3 2005-05-19 2005-06-03 https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05galapagosrift/welcome.html asNeeded