See a world like no other. Life is abundant and it's all around you. There are strange creatures living in extremely deadly conditions. Before 1997 this world existed unknown, lurking in the darkness. The only way to see this world is to be in a specialized submarine, otherwise you would die from the heat, pressure and extreme levels of toxins. Yet, in hostile conditions life not only exists, but thrives. That world is here on Earth and it is like no other. The strange world described above was the deep ocean. At depths up to 40,000 feet or more life abounds around mysterious natural features known as hydrothermal vents. Despite the fragile, beautiful, and important life in these hydrothermal vents, many companies view them as little more than repositories to be emptied of minerals. Samples were taken and mineral rights were granted to companies to mine these conduits. No full mining projects are underway yet, but they will be coming in the near future. If the exploitation of hydrothermal vents continues, important life forms will be destroyed along with the Earth's oceans. The technology used to extract minerals is harmful to the ocean and its life forms. Additionally, according to a paper on deep-sea exploration titled “Oceanography 1998: Exploring the Ocean Abyss,” some have considered hydrothermal vents to be easy places to dump nuclear waste. The damage and obstacles required to extract these springs would not be worth the mineral wealth. These hydrothermal springs need to be respected and preserved; Furthermore, the expansion of mining must not continue. Instead hydrothermal vents could be safely observed with minimal samples taken for research. The potential damage to the areas... in the center of the card must stop or the hydrothermal vents will be destroyed along with 70% of the hydrothermal vents. The Earth and 97% of its water: the oceans. Works Cited Analyzing the Promise of Deep-Sea Mining. Network. 13 February 2014. Hydrothermal vent prospecting team. Electronic library science. Network. February 11, 2014.Jarvis, Brooke. Deep Sea Mining --- Bonanza or Boondoggle?, PBS, June 25, 2013. Web. February 13, 2014. Mining. Encyclopedia: problems and controversies. Facts on File News Servive, nd Web. 04 February 2014.Ocean and oceanography. Encyclopedia: problems and controversies. Facts on File News Servive, nd Web. 04 February 2014. Exploring Seafloor Gold and Copper. Nautilus Minerals, February 13, 2014. Web. February 13, 2014. Skaugh, Lew. New designs advance SPAR technology into deeper waters. PennWell Corporation, Web. 13 February 2014. UniServe Science. Webquest on "black smokers". AT&T, April 19, 2007. Web. February 6, 2014. November 02 1998.