This video begins at the interface between a very extensive mussel bed on the perimeter of a large mud flow and brine seep feature. These are precisely the types of features that geologists onboard the research vessel Atlantis are interested in finding. They represent very active venting of fluids and sediment from the subsurface. The hydrocarbons contained in the vented, fluidized sediment provide the necessary resources for chemosynthetic communities. As the camera pans to the right, we move away from the flanks of the brine flow and into of what appears to be white Beggiatoa bacterial mats. Video courtesy of Expedition to the Deep Slope, NOAA-OE.
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