ROV Dive S0473 - Midway to JaichMaa ’ja’ag Vent Field

Join ROV SuBastian from the RV Falkor for the twelfth dive of the Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Pescadero Basin expedition. This is the fourth dive of the third leg, primarily focused on the biological component. Exploratory dive to a suspected hydrothermal feature detected during seafloor mapping surveys found midway (~650 m) between Auka and the JaichMaa ’ja’ag Vent Fields. The objectives of this dive are to (1) explore and photo document the Midway vent feature and, if actively venting (2) measure temp of fluid flow and (3) collect representative animals, rock samples and push cores in the vicinity of the vent, followed by (4) heat flow measurements during a 650 m transit (heading 160°) to JaichMaa ‘ja’ag and (5) collect Xenophyophores along the way. If time permits, (6) we will take samples at the Big Sister of the ‘The Sisters’ site at JaichMaa ‘ja’ag, the northern most feature of a vent field that consists of four large and several small hydrothermal edifices aligned N-S over a 400 m distance.