Geologists are intrigued by how rapidly vent chimneys grow — as fast as a foot a day! A scientist at the University of Washington has been monitoring the growth of "Godzilla," a vent chimney in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast. It reached the height of a 15-story building before it toppled and is actively rebuilding.

Where is the area known as the "Ring of Fire"?

The Mariana Trench is a depression in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Mariana Islands. It is 1,554 miles long and averages 44 miles wide. Within it, about 210 miles southwest of Guam, lies the deepest known point on Earth. Named the "Challenger Deep" for the British survey ship Challenger II that located it in 1951, this underwater gorge plunges to a depth of nearly 7 miles!

Copyright University of Delaware, November 2004