NEARCHUS: Japan,Hydrothermal vents found off Okinawa,.[ 1822 ]

The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Japan,Hydrothermal vents found off Okinawa,.[ 1822 ]

Hydrothermal vents that appear to be producing rare metals found off Okinawa

Mineral clusters projecting from the seabed. (Photo courtesy of the University of Tokyo)

Mineral clusters projecting from the seabed. (Photo courtesy of the University of Tokyo)

(Mainichi Japan) September 19, 2010

A few active hydrothermal areas found at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Okinawa Prefecture appear to be producing rare earth metals, which will likely draw interest to the area as a potential underwater mine.

The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo and other institutes. On Sept. 17, they announced that they had discovered three areas with hydrothermal eruptions at the bottom of the ocean about 100 kilometers northwest of the main island of Okinawa. The team had used an unmanned probe equipped with sensors they developed that can detect manganese and hydrogen sulfide contained in hot water released from vents, and over an eight-day period beginning on Sept. 4 used the probe to search an underwater area full of volcanic craters.

In their exploration, the team found three areas at depths of around 500 to 600 meters where water from 43 to 247 degrees centigrade was erupting. In one of the areas, there were chimney-shaped clusters -- about 50 centimeters in diameter and one to two meters in height -- on the seabed, which were emitting 121-degree water from their tips. The clusters are believed to consist of rare earth elements, such as manganese and antimony.

Such active hydrothermal metal deposits have recently been drawing researchers' attention as potential mines, spurring them to conduct explorations for them in the seas around Japan. The team has already collected the mineral clusters and plans to analyze the types and content of the metals contained in them.

(Mainichi Japan) September 19, 2010

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