In 2009, scientists searched for the first time for hydrothermal vents and deep-sea life surrounding them in the Mid-Cayman Spreading Center, in the middle of the Cayman Trough, south of Cuba. At the boundaries of two of Earth’s tectonic plates, the spreading center is 5,000 to 6,500 meters (3 to 4 miles) deep and spreading apart at an ultraslow rate (less than 2.5 centimeters or 1 inch per year). (Jack Cook, WHOI)[back]
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