Seamount Life Cycle Seamounts come in many shapes and sizes. Some have flat tops. Tey’re called guyots. Others are pillar-shaped and called pinnacles. Despite their differences, most seamounts undergo four key stages of growth, activity, and death. Stage one is eruption. At this stage, a


volcanic seamount first breaks through the seafloor. Next comes the build-up stage. Tat’s when the volcano spits out most of its magma. Some seamounts grow so rapidly they break through the ocean’s surface. Stage three is when erosion sets in. If a seamount is above the water line, then both wind and rain will grind it down over time. Below the surface, landslides and currents create wear and tear, too. During the fourth stage, the ground beneath the seamount cools and becomes denser. Finally, the seamount begins to sink.


Food Chains In the past, little was known about seamounts. Today, scientists are taking note of their biodiversity. Seamounts attract living things. Many


organisms live on and around them. It’s even possible that some seamounts have life that is unique to the ecosystems around them. Te height of a seamount changes water


currents. Its slopes force water up its sides. And water moves faster around seamounts than in the open ocean. Both of these actions bring nutrients from


the deep. Tis stirring action brings food to corals. It causes plankton populations to boom. Fish species that feed on plankton become numerous. All of this activity attracts large predators


like tuna, sharks, and even marine mammals such as seals and migrating whales.


anemone shrimp


14


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24