This mission has been in the making for 3 years. The Lost City vent field is unlike any seafloor hot spring system yet found, and it is likely that exciting new discoveries will be made during this 32-day expedition. Using the submersible Alvin and the free-swimming robotic vehicle ABE, we will explore, map, and sample this novel environment. Some of the questions we will be investigating include

What kind of life inhabits the limestone towers and summit of the mountain?

Are the organisms similar to those that might have inhabited the earliest hydrothermal systems on Earth?

Is Lost City unique or are these types of systems common along the mid-ocean ridge spreading network?

The ocean is a vast place and there is much yet to be discovered.