Abyssal Plains & Seamounts

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

The abyssal plains, dotted with volcanic seamounts, represents the largest abyssal environment within the ocean basins. The sediment covered abyssal plains, highlighted by the  Clarion and Clipperton fracture zone (CCZ) contain both a delicate and diverse ecosystem adapted to severely limited food sources as well as extensive deposits of manganese nodules that contain a significant portion of our planets accessible reserves of rare metals. Seamounts within the abyssal zone, as elsewhere, are oases of life that host high densities of fauna taking advantage of these isolated bare-rock environments. In addition, these seamounts are point sources of magmatism that provide insight into the dynamics and chemical cycling within Earth's mantle. This workshop seeks to refine the trans-disciplinary questions and approaches to science on abyssal plains and seamounts.

Don't forget to sign up for the workshop Slack channel.