Bacteria developed in close proximity to burning vents, able to survive in water at almost 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Deprived of the energy of light, the bacteria transformed sulphur into edible organic matter,.
Thus becoming the first link in a new food chain.
The larvae and eggs of these deep water organisms drifted in the great currents that swept along the bottom of the planet's oceans.
Which is how they colonized these very remote oasis.
They moved from one hydrothermal vent to another .
Chance encounters meant that species landed in new clusters.
New Gardens of Eden heated by the underground magma.
As extreme and improbable as it may seem, an environment created by the hotspot was conducive to creating life.
These organisms are said to be species surviving from ancient geological times.
These underwater communities are only one stage in the hot spots odyssey.
Like its ancestors, the young hot spot in the Indian Ocean supports swarming citadels of life, whose fate is precarious.
For these oasis rest upon the tip of a slumbering volcano.
The hot spot is still producing magma, which tries to force its way out through the crust.
The volcanic process once again underway, destroying an environment and building a new one.
It starts it's long ascent to the surface.
The hotspot pierces the earth's crust and unleashes its power.
Nothing can stop it.
While the surface of the ocean is still two miles up, the volcano spews out enough lava to create a first platform.
This becomes the foundation of an undersea mountain.
As it rises, the volcano's mood shifts.
The closer it is to the surface, the less pressure there is leading to a greater magnitude in the explosions.
It stains the water with sulfur.