FIRE UNDER THE SEA: The Discovery of...

FIRE UNDER THE SEA: The Discovery of the Most Extraordinary Environment on Earth--Volcanic Hot Springs on the Ocean Floor by Joseph Cone (Quill: $12; 285 pp., illustrated). Joseph Cone presents an approachable summary of the recent discoveries about the geophysics of the Earth’s crust. Although plate tectonics (“continental drift”) explains many phenomena, including the all-too-familiar earthquake, Cone focuses on the mid-ocean rifts, where upwellings of magma add new material to the sea floor. The interaction of molten rock and icy sea water produces underwater hot springs. Scientists were amazed to find previously unknown forms of life thriving in this seemingly hostile environment, producing food from dissolved minerals rather than solar energy. Cone’s often fascinating book concludes with the current theories on the relationship between undersea volcanic activity and El Nino conditions.