The extent of the subseafloor cavitieshorizontally and how deep they reachis not known yet, Gollner added.
Specifically, the team identified the tubewormsR.
thermophilus, as well as polychaete worms and limpets, among the species living in undersea cavities.
A view into the subsurface cavity near deep-sea hydrothermal vents.Image: CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute
The sub also lifted up sections of lava shelves to see what dwelled beneath.
There are a few bare necessities for life as we know it.
The study of the subseafloor biosphere for animal life has just begun, the team wrote in the paper.
Last year, a team using the same vessel found newhydrothermal vents teeming with lifeon the ocean floor.
The vesselFalkorFalkor (too)s predecessorshed light on the almost-alien lifeforms that eke out existence on the seafloor.
The recent discovery could lend itself to the search for alien life.
The Atacama is an arid region in northern Chile that is one of the least hospitable places on Earth.
Yet the team leading that research found several classes of bacteria eking out existence underground.
Future studies could clarify exactly how far below the conditions become unsuitable for life.
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