Black Smoker
Credit: Denis Finnin

Scientists theorize that some of the first forms of life emerged around volcanic vents along the ocean floor, and these microbes flourished in the absence of sunlight by getting energy from the chemical compounds billowing out of these vents. Remarkable tower-like sulfide "chimneys" grow where hot water flows from the sea floor in areas where new oceanic crust is being created by the forces of plate tectonics. HoPE features the first hot and "live" sulfide chimneys ever collected, which come from a depth of 7,300 feet from the Juan De Fuca Ridge, about 200 miles off the Coast of Washington and British Columbia. This collection was made by an expedition conducted jointly by the Museum and the University of Washington. For more information, visit our Black Smoker Expedition website.

Linking directly with the Hall's section on Earth's evolution, this zone also focuses on how our planet sustains life and controls its surface environment. Visitors can explore biogeochemical cycles, such as the carbon cycle, through an interactive video where the user can increase or decrease pollution by building factories or planting trees, learn how carbon is taken up and stored in different parts of the Earth, and discover how disturbing the Earth systems affect the global climate. This section of the Hall also features an ore garden — a group of spectacular specimens that were collected specifically to illustrate how ores form. These include rare samples from South African gold and platinum mines, as well as massive sulfide ores from Canada formed in the ocean 2.8 billion years ago.