Notes on Vent Field Description:
Canet et al. (2010): "More than 60 sites with bubbles rising from the seafloor were detected on echosounder profiles from the SE corner of the Consag Basin, where two mud mounds occur and were named “El Puma Mounds”, "Based on tectonics, heat flow and seep geochemical data from neighbouring basins, we postulate that the driving force of the above activity is an intense emission of gas and a high geothermal flow associated with incipient formation of oceanic crust."; email from P. Dando 2010: "We were unable to measure temperatures on the bottom but grab samples of sediment had temperatures up to 10°C higher than bottom water temperatures after recovery."; note that Bird (2003) classifies this location as CTF continental transform fault, but we are classifying here as nascent rift, thus choosing mid-ocean ridge as the tectonic setting category
Notes Relevant to Biology:
Year and How Discovered (if active, visual confirmation is listed first):
2007 echosounder and grab samples
Discovery References (text):
Canet, C., R.M. Prol-Ledesma, P.R. Dando, V. Vázquez-Figueroa, E. Shumilin, E. Birosta, A. Sánchez, C.J. Robinson, A. Camprubí, E. Tauler (2010) Discovery of massive seafloor gas seepage along the Wagner Fault, northern Gulf of California. Sedimentary Geology 228: 292–303.