Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Fluid sampler on arm of ROV.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Iron oxide staining and a yellowish squat lobster on a vertical wall.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. White squat lobsters and three vent mussels visible in this view.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. White squat lobsters and a group of vent mussels visible in this view.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Prolific life in the form of white squat lobsters and yellow-brown vent mussels on an iron-oxide stained outcrop. A vent is nearby to provide energy and chemical energy for sustaining this community.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. An assemblage of vent mussels and squat lobsters. Look closely to find the shrimp covering the whitish bottom as well as crawling over the mussels.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Sulfur, vent mussels, squat lobsters, and black volcanic rocks

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Shrimp swimming above the bottom while squat lobsters and vent mussels are seen on the bottom.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Squat lobsters, shrimp, and vent mussels dispersed over the bottom.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. A profusion of vent mussels and squat lobsters.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Squat lobsters, shrimp, and vent mussels dispersed over the bottom.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Closeup of shrimp covering a large mound of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Shrimp covering a large mound of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Shrimp covering a large mound of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Swimming shrimp, a few squat lobsters, and hundreds of vent mussels.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Squat lobsters and a very high density of vent mussels. Note the red dots emitted from a laser. These are 10 cm apart for scale.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. NW Eifuku Volcano. Squat lobsters and a very high density of vent mussels. Note streamlined creatures in bottom left of image. These are swimming squat lobsters.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Tube worms and white crabs.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A profusion of white crabs with a few tube worms.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Vents emitting hot gases and liquids.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A tube worm forest with white crabs, at least four red crabs, and at least two tonguefish. The yellow material is a block of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A tube worm forest with a few white crabs and red crabs and swimming shrimp.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A tube worm forest with a few white crabs and red crabs.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Tube worms, many red crabs, and one prominent white crab.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A tube worm forest with a few white crabs and red crabs.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A chunk of sulfur in the midst of tube worms with many red crabs and a few white crabs.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Arm of ROV grabbing a large block of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Tube worms, white crabs, red crabs, and one intermediate brownish-yellow crab.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. White crabs, a few tube worms, and a few tonguefish.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Pinkish-gray crabs, a red crab, and tube worms on a mass of sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. White crabs, a few tube worms, a few tonguefish, and a ribbon-like fish apparently swimming towards the camera. Chunks of pure yellow sulfur are visible on the bottom-right. Note the segmented texture of the tube on the bottom right.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Grayish-white tube worms in a tangled mass with white crabs and a few red crabs.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Cable from scientific instruments, hydrothermal plume, and CO2 bubbles.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. White crabs and hydrothermal venting.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A mass of tube worms.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Hydrothermal venting from sulfur mounds, white crabs to the left on the seafloor , and some small marine animals swimming in front of the hydrothermal cloud.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. An explosive eruption beginning. The black specks are small chunks of rock.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A patch of tube worms, white crabs, and tongue fish. Yellow sulfur chunks are on the seafloor.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A hydrothermal fog shrouds the landscape in the vicinity of a hydrothermal vent.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Chunks of solidified sulfur almost displaying a dendritic appearance.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Chunks of solidified sulfur almost displaying a dendritic appearance.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Volcanic sulfur having different textures after cooling.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. White crabs on a matt of volcanic sulfur.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. White crabs on a matt of volcanic sulfur with a patch of tube worms in the upper right of the image.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Hydrothermal vents spewing white clouds of hydrothermal fluids

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A tongue fish seemingly hovering over a sulfur-encrusted area. White crabs are seen below.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. Hydrothermal vents spewing white clouds of hydrothermal fluids in a sulfur- encrusted area. Bubbles of CO2 can be seen in the image.

Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition. A cloud of white hydrothermal fluids