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The lava-encrusted slopes of Explorer Seamount—Canada’s largest underwater volcano—are home to newly discovered glass sponge colonies known as “Spongetopia.”Credit - Ocean Exploration Trust Northeast Pacific Seamounts/Expedition Partners
sprep-pa

The proposed Offshore Pacific Area of Interest (AOI) off the coast of British Columbia contains underwater mountains, some 10,000 feet high, overlooking a vast network of hydrothermal vents that spew hot sulfur and nutrients into the surrounding water. This unique environment, first discovered in 1982, supports a biologically dense alien-like ecosystem based on heat and sulfur rather than light or carbon, and encompasses more than 51,300 square miles...

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