Image Archive

A beautiful ropey, jumbled sheet flow covers the seafloor at ~1500 m beneath the oceans' surface at the summit of Axial Seamount. The lava was erupted in April 2011. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

Healthy tube worms grow along a venting fracture in the 2011 glassy lava flow at the summit of Axial Seamount. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

A dense colony of tube worms awash in warm diffusely venting fluids grow on the April 2011 lava flow at the summit of Axial Seamount. UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

A small cluster of healthy Ridgeia tube worms grow near Skadis' Cauldron, a highly active snowblower in 2011. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

A swarm of black cod circle the vehicle during recovery and installation of a junction box at 600 m water depth offshore of Newport. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-986; V17.

Undergraduate students Carlos Arcilia (right) from the University of Puerto Rico and Willem Weertman from the University of Washington help process CTD fluid samples. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington, V17.

Alex Andronikides from Queens College, New York helps clean a Shallow Profiler Mooring science pod that was installed off the Oregon coast in 2016. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington, V17.

A glass-coated sheet flow sample recovered on Jason Dive J2-980 from the April 2011 lava flow on Axial Seamount. Credit. Mitch Elend, University of Washington, V17.

The vibrant Neptunea nursery that was covered in bright yellow egg stalks topped with Neptunea snails is not longer active. Only casings and empty shells remain. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-981; V17.

The seep sites at Southern Hydrate Ridge are characterized by several meter-tall hummocks, the summits and sides of which are variably covered by white bacterial mats. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-981; V17.

Tubeworms with red plumes grow on the side of an odd basalt formation formed as part of a fossilized lava lake at the summit of Axial Seamount in 2011. Depth is ~1500 m. UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

A skylight in the April 2011 lava flows shows where lava had drained out in the subsurface, leaving a cavern. The front porch of the ROV Jason is in the foregound. UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

The ROV Jason looks into the remnants of where a lava pond once formed. Most of the roof has subsequently collaped. Water depthe here is ~ 1500 m. UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

A fossilized whirl in a lava lake that was active during the April 2011 eruption of Axial Seamount. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

During Jason Dive J2-980, the remnants of multiple lava lakes from the April 2011 eruption of Axial Seamount were encountered. The bathtub rings mark the progressive lowering of the "lake". Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

Students went out to see a green flash, which did not materialize. But, there was a beautiful sunset. Credit: Kelsy Cain, University of Washington, V17.

Columns in a collapsed area that once hosted a lava lake are reminiscent of an ancient city. Rings mark lowering of the lake as lava drained out. Fossilized drips of lava are preserved hanging from the ceiling. A rattail fish explores the site. This is part of the 2011 eruption at Axial. Credit: UW/OO-NSF/WHOI; J2-980; V17.

The summit of El Guapo continues to vigorously vent high temperature fluids. The fluids reach temperatures of 350°C. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI; J2-980, V17.

The Cabled Array digital still camera in the International District Hydrothermal Field photographs Jason during dive J2-980. Credit:UW/OOI-NSF/WHOI, V17

This science pod was cut loose from the Axial Base Shallow Profiler mooring on Sunday morning and was throughly cleaned by an eager group of students. The growth visible on the pod comes after just one year in the water, and since many of the instruments on the pod require unobstructed intake lines for sampling, the pods must be replaced yearly. 

Katie Gonzalez holds juvenile scallops she recovered from the Shallow Profiler platform at Axial Base. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington, V17.

Katie Gonzalez, from Clallam Bay, will be a freshman at the University of Washington Fall 2017 where she will study Oceanography and work with Deb Kelley. Here, she is cleaning an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler recovered from 2900 m water depth at the Slope Base site. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington.

A couple samples of pyrosomes collected in shallow surface waters at the base of Axial Seamount. Credit: M. Elend, University of Washington, V17.

Jason gets a live portrait taken while diving in the International District Hydrothermal Field by the Regional Cabled Array digital still camera. The lights on the ROV were turned off, and APL engineers in the UW Operations turned the camera on from onshore, >500 km away. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF, V17.

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The weird fish at 2900 m water depth at the Slope Base site, visits us almost every year. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/WHOI, V17.

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