Pythias Oasis Bubble Plumes (IMAGE)

University of Washington

Pythias Oasis Bubble Plumes

Caption

This sonar image of the Pythias Oasis site shows bubbles rising from the seafloor about two-thirds of a mile deep and 50 miles off Newport, Oregon. These bubbles are a byproduct of a unique site where warm, chemically distinct fluid gushes from the seafloor. Researchers believe this fluid comes directly from the Cascadia megathrust zone, or plate boundary, and helps control stress buildup between the two plates.

Credit

Philip et al./Science Advances

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