Microorganisms of Hydrothermal Vents at Iheya Ridge

Dive #857 by Shinkai 2000 was carried out at Iheya Ridge of Okinawa Trough in April 1996 to collect deep sea sediments and rocks. Some rocks collected near hydrothemal vents were covered by white microbial mats. Detailed studies by analytical devices showed that the white microbial mats consisted of a lot of needle-like quartz crystals and spherical materials. The spherical materials existed around quartz crystals. It can be considered that they influence the formative period of these crystals.