Chapter 1
The colors of eruption
Chapter 2
Deep ocean and deep space
Chapter 3
Extreme life and volcanic survivors
Chapter 4
Historical oddities and cultural myths
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of volcanoes
Ch 3 · Extreme life and volcanic survivors
schopenhauer The Volcano Snail
Volcano snail! Volcano snail! Wearing iron armor in the deep-sea heat!
schopenhauer A sudden volcanic eruption in 1963 birthed a brand-new island in Iceland, creating a closed ecosystem for scientists.
schopenhauer Tiny, fuzzy worms survive near hydrothermal vents at temperatures that would easily boil other animals.
BETA
schopenhauer Feed hungry lichen the right volcanic rocks to discover how life survives on cooled lava.
Fun Fact
Shark tank: The active undersea volcano Kavachi is nicknamed the 'Sharkcano' because multiple shark species live directly inside its hot, acidic crater.
Glossary
extremophile (noun)
An organism that thrives in environmental conditions so extreme that most other life cannot survive. In 2020, scientists discovered nearly three hundred new species of these organisms inside New Zealand's Brothers Volcano.
An organism that thrives in environmental conditions so extreme that most other life cannot survive. In 2020, scientists discovered nearly three hundred new species of these organisms inside New Zealand's Brothers Volcano.
Quiz
How do Pompeii worms survive the extreme heat of deep-sea hydrothermal vents?
Quiz
What kind of volcanic rock is formed when lava cools so rapidly that no crystals can grow?
Quiz
How do farmers on the Italian island of Ischia grow tropical pineapples in winter?
Quiz
Which large marine predators were surprisingly found living inside the active submarine volcano Kavachi?
Quiz
Why are humans strictly restricted from visiting the volcanic island of Surtsey in Iceland?