By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute San Juan Seamount Seamounts are massive underwater mountains – usually extinct volcanoes – that tower thousands of feet above the seafloor. Some seamounts however, including the San Juan Seamount off the coast of southern California, were once ancient islands. San Juan started to form approximately 20 Read more about San Juan Seamount: An Ancient Archipelago[…]
By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute Gumdrop and Pioneer Seamounts Gumdrop and Pioneer are neighboring seamounts located approximately 45 miles off the coast of California, close to San Francisco. The summit of Pioneer Seamount sits approximately half a mile (2,690 feet) below the surface, while Gumdrop Seamount is even deeper – 3,960 Read more about Gumdrop and Pioneer Seamounts – Offshore Seabird Havens[…]
By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute Cortes and Tanner Banks Cortes and Tanner Banks are twin seamounts located approximately 80 miles off the coast of California, and just five miles from each other. As recently as 10,000 years ago, the banks would have been classified as islands instead of seamounts, as rocky Read more about Cortes and Tanner Banks: Recreation and Biodiversity Hotspots[…]
By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute The Gorda and Mendocino Ridges are a complex series of oceanic ridges just off the coast of northern California, and are home to unique deep-sea ecosystems including hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. Unfortunately, these areas may be at risk from future deep-sea mining efforts. It is Read more about Gorda and Mendocino Ridges – California’s Test Cases for Deep-Sea Mining[…]