Deep-Sea Creatures Thrive on Methane Leaks, 6 Miles Below Pacific Ocean
- A Chinese submersible found thousands of blood-red tubeworms and white clams thriving on leaking methane six miles below the Pacific, the deepest animal ecosystem ever discovered on Earth,...
- The submersible’s cameras captured clusters of tubeworms and clams clustered around methane seeps.
- The submersible descended to a depth of six miles during its mission.
A Chinese submersible found thousands of blood-red tubeworms and white clams thriving on leaking methane six miles below the Pacific, the deepest animal ecosystem ever discovered on Earth, according to a report by Space Daily. The discovery, made in an area with no sunlight and no photosynthesis, challenges existing assumptions about the limits of life in extreme environments.
The ecosystem was detected in a region of the Pacific. The submersible’s cameras captured clusters of tubeworms and clams clustered around methane seeps. These organisms rely on chemosynthesis, a process that converts methane and other chemicals into energy, rather than photosynthesis. The discovery marks the deepest animal ecosystem ever discovered on Earth.
Discovery Details and Methodology
The submersible descended to a depth of six miles during its mission. Researchers noted that the tubeworms exhibited a vibrant red coloration. The white clams were observed in close proximity to methane seeps.