Asphalt Volcanoes The Gulf of Mexico has long been known for its generous supply of oil, but underne
Asphalt VolcanoesThe Gulf of Mexico has long been known for its generous supply of oil, but underneath the water, there is also another strange petroleum phenomenon lurking—asphalt volcanoes.These tar deposits are the result of fractures in the crust that allow petroleum to flow towards the surface, sort of like a natural “gusher”—except asphalt and tar are a bit goopier. Naturally occurring tar deposits are not altogether unheard of, Pitch Lake in Trinidad and Tobago (http://on.fb.me/1zfRYWc) and the La Brea Tar Pits in California are both examples, but these underwater eruptions of asphalt were only discovered in 1978. Similar asphalt volcanoes off the coast of California were discovered as recently as 2007.Last year, NOAA sent down a robot submarine to snap some shots of ocean-floor features. Although not originally on the agenda, they fortunately stumbled upon the volcanoes and noticed they had a unique flower-like shape. Much like lava, asphalt erupting into cold ocean water solidifies quickly. The lava, or asphalt, cannot flow very far. In this case, the hardened asphalt also cracked and fractured, creating what look like petals and spawning the volcanoes’ new nickname: “tar lily”.The asphalt volcanoes in the Gulf of Mexico may still be active. What would happen if asphalt continues to ooze? Nobody really knows. Some think that asphalt volcanoes in California were responsible for spikes in ocean methane levels some 35,000 years ago. Whatever the effects may be, these fascinating asphalt eruptions are another wonder of a largely unexplored ocean floor.-CMFor more information: http://1.usa.gov/1DepopVhttp://bit.ly/1xhR7yRPhoto credit: NOAA -- source link
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