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These violent undersea volcanoes harbor a secret: life
Off the coast of Italy, the Mediterranean’s most active volcano system is extremely volatile—yet our photographer found that marine life clings on all the same.
In Panarea, one of Italy’s Aeolian Islands, gases escaping from a magma chamber mix with the cold Mediterranean Sea, creating acidic bubbles known as “nature’s Jacuzzi.” The surrounding waters are so corrosive that ancient Roman mariners moored their ships here to cleanse barnacles from the hulls.
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