On November 19th, the Extreme 2008 expedition will start steaming back toward shore aboard the R/V Atlantis from their previous dive location at 9°N on the East Pacific Rise and enter the Sea of Cortés. There, in the Guaymas Basin, they will conduct a series of six more dives in the submersible Alvin.The seafloor here is covered in sediments. Over the ages, the scalding hydrothermal vent water has transformed these sediments into petroleum.

The star on the map above marks the location of the first dive of the millennium aboard Alvin in the year 2000. The historic dive was made by researchers Craig Cary and George Luther of the University of Delaware on Thursday, January 13. The exact coordinates for the dive are 27° N latitude and 111° 24' W longitude. This location will be revisited during the Extreme 2008 expedition.

Copyright University of Delaware.