Jiaolong Collects Scientific Samples in Hydrothermal Vents

While on a 120-day expedition in southwest Indian Ocean, China’s deepsea manned submersible Jiaolong took samples of hydrothermal fluid in two active hydrothermal vents on Friday.

Jiaolong measured temperature of 352 degree Celsius of one active hydrothermal vent.

During the dive the submersible also took other scientific samples at the seabed.

According to reports Jiaolong gathered 1.8 kg of sulfide, 2.3 kg of basalt, 15 spiral shells, one stalked barnacle and 8 liters of deepsea water in its dive.

Pilot of Jiaolong, Fu Wentao, said to Xinhua that it was very hard to find a proper place for the submersible to rest.

He said: “The temperature of active hydrothermal vents is more than 300 degree Celsius, so I must keep the submersible away from the vents but I also need to get the submersible as close as possible to the vents to measure the temperatures and get samples.”