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To Sea

June 1, 2018

The research vessel Atlantis sailed from Bermuda recently with the human-occupied submersible Alvin, the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry, and a science crew of geologists and geochemists. The team is searching the seafloor for “popping rocks,” lavas that cooled quickly, trapping large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases in high-pressure bubbles that audibly pop when the rocks are brought up to the surface and out of the water. Scientists will use these rocks to understand the composition and origin of gases deep below Earth’s surface. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)