Clams were sparsely scattered over the sediment near the vent fields of Kawio Barat.

Clams were sparsely scattered over the sediment near the vent fields of Kawio Barat.

Barnacles with cirri extended, large chiton, and shrimp on vent structure at Kawio Barat.

Barnacles with cirri extended, large chiton, and shrimp on vent structure at Kawio Barat.

White bacterial mat and some shrimp at Kawio Barat.

Bacterial mat with bristle worm (polychaete worm) and gastropod.

Barnacles with cirri extended at Kawio Barat.

Barnacles with cirri extended at Kawio Barat.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image capture more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

A large orange shrimp among smaller white ones at Kawio Barat hydrothermal vents field.

Bacteria? Mineral deposit? What is covering this shrimp?

Small white shrimp relatively devoid of coating, a large red shrimp with a coating of material (bacteria? mineral?) at a site where native sulphur has been deposited. Yellow sulphur indicates relatively lower temperatures when molten than black sulphur.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image capture more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Small lineal objects are shrimp. Yellow and black sulphur deposits are seen as well, yellow indicating a lower temperature while molten than the black.

Hydrothermal vent spires at Kawio Barat.

Iron oxide stained hydrothermal vent spires with large orange shrimp

Active vent spire and active vent in lower middle left where shimmering water is seen. Large field of barnacles is seen behind.

Large red shrimp at the edge of a field of barnacle on Kawio Barat. The red dots are laser lights used for measurement and are 10 cm apart. Thus the shrimp is a very large 20 cm or so shrimp.

A large red sea anemone -One of very few sea anemones at the Kawio Barat vent field. Barnacles with cirri extended and shrimp are also seen.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Spectacular spires built by deposition of hydrothermal minerals upon hot mineral-laden vent fluids encountering cold deep oceanic waters. These spires are partially covered with stalked barnacles.

Small vent shrimp scavenging larger dead shrimp in vicinity of hydrothermal vent. Black circular objects in image are perhaps particulate matter raining down after precipitating from vent fluids in cold oceanic waters.

Bacterial mat covering rock in vicinity of hydrothermal vent.

A clam semi-immersed in the sediment in the vicinity of hydrothermal venting activity and covered with hair-like strands of bacterial material.

White bacterial mat covering sediment in vicinity of hydrothermal vent. The object in bottom center appears to be a tube worm completely covered with strands of bacterial material.

Large protruding muscular foot of clam is red because of intracellular hemoglobin. The large foot is used to either anchor the clam in one place or to move the clam about.

Large clams associated with hydrothermal vent activity. Large red foot of clam is red because of intracellular hemoglobin. The foot is used to either anchor the clam in place or to move the clam about. The clams siphons are also seen in this image.

White bacterial mat on sediment and rock at Kawio Barat.

White bacterial mat on sediment.

Hydrothermally altered rock outcrop in vicinity of hydrothermal vents. Orange material could be iron oxide or perhaps bacterial material.

Sediments in vicinity of hydrothermal vents covered with white bacterial mat.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Vent shrimp are seen in the right center and yellow sulfur precipitate is seen above the vent and to the left of the vent.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Yellow frozen rivulets of sulfur precipitate are seen as well as large shrimp in the right center of the image.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Yellow frozen rivulets of sulfur precipitate are seen as well as large shrimp in the lower half of the image.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Small shrimp and what seem to be small stalked barnacles are seen on the brown elliptical area to the left of the vent.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white smoke. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV. Looking past white vent fluids towards spires covered with stalked barnacles.

Spires built by hydrothermal activity. Those in the background are covered by stalked barnacles.

Stalagmite-like spire built from precipitates of hydrothermal fluids.

Bacterial mat covering sediments in vicinity of hydrothermal vents.

Circular volcanic feature heavily altered by hydrothermal activity.

White bacterial material in area of hydrothermally altered rocks.

Hydrothermally altered rocks in the vicinity of hydrothermal vents.

Stalagmite-like spires of mineral material precipitated from hydrothermal fluids .

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white mineral-laden fluids. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white mineral-laden fluids. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white mineral-laden fluids. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.

A kaleidoscopic landscape of black, orange, and white colors composed of hydrothermally altered rocks and sediments and bacterial mat material.

Hydrothermal vents on Kawio Barat submarine volcano spew white mineral-laden fluids. Image captured more than 1,850 meters deep the Little Hercules ROV.