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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.

This Flapjack Octopus floated gently above the seafloor for several minutes as we watched it through the eyes of the ROV ROPOS. Credit: UW/OOI-NSF/CSSF, V11.

Pillow basalts, interspersed with sediment ponds, mark old lava flows on the flanks of Axial Seamount. The rocks and sediment are host to occasional deep sea corals.

This Flapjack Octopus was imaged by the Canadian robotic vehicle ROPOS at a water depth of 5728 feet on Axial Seamount. Photo credit: OOI-NSF/UW/CSSF, V11

This Roughtail skate was photographed by the ROV ROPOS at 1756 m (5761 feet) beneath the ocean's surface on the flank of Axial Seamount. Credit: UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF; ROPOS Dive R1466; V11.