Vema
The Vema is a 980 km west-northwest of Cape Town in South Atlantic lying seamount that rises from a depth of about 4600 meters. It has the shape of a deep-sea dome, also called guyot , - with a conical structure and a flattened tip - and was probably formed about 11 million years ago by a volcanic hotspot.
biology
Since the peak of the Vema is only 26 meters below sea level, it can still be reached by sun rays - which favor a distinctive flora and fauna. There, for example, the Tristan lobster, which is more than 30 centimeters long, is in high demand from a culinary point of view and has therefore almost been eradicated, occurs. A species of lobster that is otherwise only found on the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, located 2000 km to the west-southwest, and even adorns the coat of arms and flag there.
history
The deep-sea mountain was discovered in 1957 (other sources name 1959) by the research ship Vema, a 62-meter-long schooner of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory , the research institute of geosciences at Columbia University, in search of diamonds. The ship became the namesake of the Vema.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Did you know there are enormous mountains under the sea? - Four things you need to know about the Mount Vema Greenpeace story of October 18, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ↑ a b Marine research, expedition to Tiefseeberg encounters plastic waste and a positive surprise DerStandard from November 7, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019.
Coordinates: 31 ° 38 ′ S , 8 ° 20 ′ E