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Expedition continues its underwater research activities near Saint Petersburg volcano

12.08.2010

On August 11, the expedition carried on with the dives near the Saint Petersburg underwater mud volcano with active participation of scientists from Shirshov Oceanology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Vinogradov Geochemistry Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They investigated the local geological structure, gas-hydrate fields, as well as biochemical characteristics of bottom sediments.

They also continued to study the newly-discovered spherical structures of organic nature. According to Alexander Egorov, a leading research associate of Shirshov Oceanology Institute, these structures are 1-3 cm unstable jellylike substances that break down easily. This is why they are so difficult to pick with the mechanic arm. Mikhail Grachev, Director of the Institute of Limnology, suggested that it is a new, previously unknown form of life, a colony of microorganisms feeding on methane.