Lost City hydrothermal field hosts life fueled by Earth's mantle
Technology
Hidden more than 700 meters below the Atlantic Ocean, the Lost City Hydrothermal Field is a real-life ocean mystery.
Discovered in 2000, it features massive carbonate towers and weirdly cool marine life that has thrived for over 120,000 years thanks to unique chemical reactions between seawater and Earth's mantle.
Lost city threatened by nearby mining
The Lost City's giant structures (like the more than 60-meter Poseidon) produce hydrogen and methane, creating a home for snails, crustaceans, and microbes, even without oxygen or magma.
But mining rights granted nearby in 2018 have scientists worried about its fragile ecosystem.
Researchers are pushing for World Heritage status to protect its biodiversity and keep unlocking secrets about how life might have started on Earth.