9 North

9 North, or Nine North, is a region of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise in the Pacific Ocean, 900 kilometers off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico; it has been so named by scientists because its latitude is 9°50' N.^[1] It was first seen to erupt in 1991 by the deep submersible Alvin during a survey for the Ocean Drilling Program.^[2] In November 1999, scientists, students, education specialists, and film crews returned to 9 North to see how the biology and landscape had changed over time. IMAX, National Geographic, and BBC film crews have made videos about the vents at 9 North, most noticeably Volcanoes of the Deep Sea.^[3]

BBC Planet Earth series from 2006 reported that 9 North either extinguished or became inactive during the period that BBC was creating the series. All previously extant forms of life- crustaceans (shrimps, crabs) and tube worms- were observed to have disappeared (either died, or left the site), perhaps signalling the extinction of lifeforms unique to these particular vents.

References

1. Qiu, Jane (20 May 2010). "Oceanography: Death and rebirth in the deep". Nature 465 (7296): 284–286. doi:10.1038/465284a.
2. Lutz, Richard; Shank, Timothy; Evans, Robert. "Life After Death in the Deep Sea". American Scientist 89 (5): 422. doi:10.1511/2001.5.422.
3. "9 Degrees North". Marine Advanced Technology Education Center. Retrieved 18 September 2014.

• University of Oregon (22 March 2007). "Volcanic Plumbing Dictates Development Of Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vents". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
• Von Damm, K. L. (10 May 2000). "Chemistry of hydrothermal vent fluids from 9°–10°N, East Pacific Rise: "Time zero," the immediate posteruptive period". Journal of Geophysical Research 105 (B5): 11203–11222. doi:10.1029/1999JB900414.