This bathymetric map of ASHES Hydrothermal Field shows the location of many of the black smoker chimneys that dot this site. The chimney Inferno rises 4 m (~ 12 feet) above the surrounding seafloor and is ~ 11 meters from its neighbor called Mushroom. Colleagues from NOAA-PMEL have worked at this site for two decades, monitoring changes in the chimneys and fluid chemistry.

Axial Volcano hosts numerous hydrothermal fields and sites of diffuse flow that support dense animal and microbial communities. Credit: D. Kelley, University of Washington.

This is the cage ROPOS uses to carry instruments to and from the seafloor.

These samples were collected from a lava flow with an age of about 3 months.

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ROPOS being deployed off the port side of the R/V Thompson.

The ROV ROPOS gently flew into a small collapse basin marked by pillars, arches and isolated columns of basalt. These areas form as lava drains out from deep lava pools. The surface of the lava lake or channel very rapidly cools as it interacts with near freezing seawater. As the lava drains out, the roof is not strong enough to maintain its weight, and collapses into a pile of talus. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF; V11.

A small pillar marked by bathtub rings is encased by broken slabs of the sheet flow that erupted in April 2011.

2011 Bathymetry of Axial Seamount Caldera (first draft), using the R/V Thompson's EM302.  Data were processed by UW undergraduate student Brendan Philip using CARIS HIPS and SIPS software.  

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Black, glassy basalt marks the edge of the new 2011 lava flow on the eastern edge of the caldera. Credity: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF; V11.

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The ROV ROPOS is controlled from this room.

ROPOS, operated by the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility, is the remotely operated vehicle onboard.

When camera stands become hats!

On the bow of the boat

ROPOS's crane

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Sunset Day 4

Camera team testing equipment off the side

Matt Knight relaxing at the bow of the ship

ROPOS equipment

The bridge

Beautiful day above Axial Seamount

To highlight the impacts of pressure and for relaxing downtime, it is a common tradition on ROV cruises to color styrofoam heads and cups and take them down to the seafloor. Styrofoam cups come up about 1 inch tall. This head has not yet been "shrunk" but will go down in a few days.

Overlapping pillow flows are enclosed by islands of sediment along the flanks of Axial Seamount. Credit: NSF-OOI/CSSF; V11.