Galapacanic Evolution

When scientists entered the Galapagos Rift they found a variation in temperature that changed drastically. The data collected by researchers revealed temperatures fluctuating between 320F to 7500F, within a relatively short distance (NOAA). Not only high temperatures were registered, but a complete ecosystem was surrounded by a unique marine life capable of surviving the extreme conditions. Since then, not just the ocean floor has been part of the scientist 's investigation; but the marine habitat brought light on matters related to the origin and evolution of life on earth. During the transit of history, several volcanic features have been identified through the earth 's surface such as geysers and hot springs. In the deep ocean, a new …show more content…
Oceanic plates collide with continental plates, resulting in oceanic plate subduction creating volcanic activity most of the time near convergence zones. While, continental to continental plate collisions sculpts flat landscapes into a high chain of mountains, diverging oceanic floors create underwater ridges. Diverging plate boundaries spread plates due to the outward movement, contributed by the upwelling coming from forces originated in the mantle and asthenosphere. The water–magma (lava) interaction, and the diverging and converging forces help in the formation of underwater mountain chains called mid-ocean ridges (Christopherson and Birkeland 340, …show more content…
Hydrothermal vents interact with sea water that percolates through fissures located on the sea floor to be expulse later after being heated. Same as geysers that can undergo same process with fresh water. This statement does not mean that geysers do not occur in the bottom of the sea. Nevertheless, the spectacle can be appreciated by the naked eye when geysers are located on the surface. Most geysers erupt fountains of hot water and steam intermittently or episodically. As mentioned at the beginning, hydrothermals features such as hydrothermal vents and geysers are related to the diverging plate tectonics; however, the Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming rest over a different geothermical structure, a hot spot. The hot spots “are individual spot of upwelling material originated in the asthenosphere or deeper in the mantle with a tendency to remain fixed to migrating plates (Christopherson and Birkeland, 346).” Those hot spots produce heat from endogenics processes that takes water to an extreme ebullition point generating tremendous forces pushing the geysers to erupts. In other words, geysers are the surface expression of underwater volcanic