Uncovering the Seafloor Leak at Cascadia Fault.
Scientists have discovered a seafloor leak, named Pythia's Oasis, 50 miles off the Oregon coast, which has been active for about 1,500 years. The leak is linked to the Cascadia fault line, but it is not a sign of an imminent earthquake. The warm, mineral-rich fluid spewing out of a 2-inch-diameter vent more than 3,000 feet beneath ocean waves is not a cold methane seep or a hydrothermal vent. Instead, it offers a unique window into the inaccessible world under the seafloor where tectonic plates meet.