ナショナルジオグラフィックのインスタグラム(natgeo) - 5月11日 02時54分

Words by @laurentballesta | The place is almost unreal—black rocks, columns of bubbles, red sediment, hot water. Depending on when and where the last eruption of an undersea volcano occurred, you can find a desert of rock or black sand that is almost ashes. Then, a few meters away, there is a flamboyant ecosystem rich with sea fans, corals, sponges, and fish. Here in the Aeolian archipelago, the heart of the most active volcanic system in the Mediterranean, life survives despite difficult, destructive conditions.

In very shallow waters or at depths of more than 80 meters (260 ft) below the surface, an extraordinary scene comes into view. Hot gases escape through undersea vents and release particles that crystallize in the cold sea, forming chimney-like structures. Some of them grow to as high as four meters (12 ft) and can disintegrate in an instant when the hot gases subside. Such a dramatic destiny, for the terrain as well as for the marine life, underscores the place’s ephemerality. The underwater scenery I see before me today might not exist tomorrow.

Life’s tenacity amid powerful undersea volcanoes is striking, a far cry from all the talk about the fragility of nature. In reality, nature is incredibly robust. Nature never complains. It will be destroyed, and it will be born again. Of course nature suffers—with all the pollution and exploitation we subject it to. But life begins anew, again and again. The only really fragile being is us. Diving at the foot of a life-destroying volcano makes you realize how vulnerable we are—and how wildlife will continue after us. Read more about my explorations of undersea volcanoes at the link in bio.

Video by Roberto Rinaldi, excerpt from "Fire Under the Sea"

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