Anaximander Seamount

This expedition explored the Anaximander Mountains – Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Anaxagoras – in the Mediterranean Sea between the Hellenic and Cyprus arcs. This region was formed due to the ongoing convergence of the African and Anatolian plates which makes it a region of active mud volcanism and gas hydrate formation hosting little-known chemosynthetic fauna, largely endemic to the Mediterranean. Previous expeditions observed methane seepage through these volcanoes and thriving chemosynthetic communities of megafaunal invertebrates. These communities stand in stark contrast to the low faunal biodiversity of the non-chemosynthetic surrounding deep Mediterranean seafloor. The primary objective of this project was to create a comprehensive map of the mud volcanoes and cold seeps located in the Anaximander Mountains and characterize the biological habitats of the unique fauna that thrive in these locations. Exploration of the three mud volcanoes documented diverse seep habitats in more than two dozen localized seep areas.