Part 1—Download GeoMapApp and Explore the Seafloor Near the Galapagos Islands

Step 1 – Download and Launch GeoMapApp Software

Open the GeoMapApp home page in a new window.

From the Download Links panel on the left of the page, click the link for your computer's operating system.
On the new Web page that comes up for your computer, scroll to the bottom of the page, read the terms of distribution, and click AGREE to download the software.

When the download is complete, locate the program file on your computer (wherever your downloads are stored) and double-click the GeoMapApp icon to start the program.

Show me the icon

When GeoMapApp launches, three maps are displayed. Click Agree to select the default Base Map in Mercator projection. (The other two options are polar projections).

Once GeoMapApp is running, the base map is displayed.

Show me how it should look

If you prefer, you can launch GeoMapApp directly from the Internet using Java Web Start. To do this, use the "here" link on the GeoMapApp home page instead of the Download Links. Click on the question mark if you need help using Java Web Start.

Show me where to launch GeoMapApp using Java Web Start and where to get help if the application does not start

Step 2 – Examine a Visualization of the Seafloor

When we look at world maps, we usually focus on the continents. Try to reverse your thinking and look at the ocean floor as the main feature of this map. As you visually explore the map below, you may notice some interesting features:

What do you think the different colors represent on this map?
Do you have any ideas for how the map might have been made?
Why do you think some continents appear twice?

Show me more information about the map and how it was created

The continents appear twice on the map so that ocean basins can be viewed in their entirety, rather than seeing the typical split of the Pacific Ocean that occurs in most Mercator projections. The colors on the map represent elevation.

As recently as fifty years ago, many oceanographers believed that the bottom of the deep ocean was a flat, featureless surface. In the years during and after WWII, researchers began experimenting with new SONAR technologies and discovered that the ocean depths contained many more topographic features than previously believed, including guyots, mountain ranges, and canyons.

The map that you are seeing here is a compilation of research by hundreds of scientists during the past twenty years, using data collected from submersibles, ships, satellites, and even the space shuttle. It is a global digital elevation model of the ocean bottom mapped to a resolution of about 100 meters. The dataset used is the Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT). In addition, GeoMapApp is able to view higher-resolution bathymetry data for specific areas that the user selects.

Step 3 – Become Familiar With Basic Tools and Features of GeoMapApp

Practice Using the Zoom Tool.

To zoom in on the map, click on the Zoom In tool (the icon with the magnifying glass and a plus sign in the toolbar) and click on the location you want to enlarge. Zoom in a few times. Use the Zoom Out tool (the magnifying glass with the minus sign) to zoom out.
To zoom into a specific region, click and drag across the map to select an area of interest.
When you are done exploring with the Zoom tools, choose Bookmarks > Zoom to Global Scale to zoom back out to the full extent of the map.

Show me an example of zooming in and out

With the Zoom In tool, click and drag a box over your area of interest.
The map is now zoomed in to North America.
Keep zooming in to the Baja California/Mexico area.
When you are done exploring with the Zoom tools, choose Bookmarks > Zoom to Global Scale to zoom back out to the full extent of the map.
Map is now zoomed back to Global Scale.

Step 4 – Locate the Galapagos Discovery Site

Choose Datasets > Oceanic Hydrothermal Vents > Global Vent Distribution - InterRidge.

Show me how

Hydrothermal Vents Around the World

Hydrothermal vents occur at locations around the world where there is volcanic activity and two other key ingredients: 1) water and 2) fissures in the rocks. The heat source for the hydrothermal vent is magma, which comes from deep within the earth. Fissures form when rocks move and deform due to tectonic activity, such as seafloor spreading.

Hydrothermal vents can be found at any depth in the ocean. The shallowest vents are only 30 meters deep, near coastlines, while the deepest vents are at 3600 meters. A similar feature to an ocean hydrothermal vent can be found on land. For example, the geysers located in Yellowstone National Park operate the same way as underwater hydrothermal vents. The water that is emitted from hydrothermal vents and geysers is often far hotter than the boiling point of water. This is due to the enormous pressure put on the water by the ocean or rock around it. Water emitted by hydrothermal vents can be as hot as 400 degrees Celsius.

Vents are important in that they transport zinc, copper and other minerals from deep within the crust to the waters above. Ocean water that seeps into the fissures carries with it magnesium and oxygen. Vents emit various chemicals. These chemicals include hydrogen sulfide, which is used in chemosynthesis reactions. Some of the chemicals that are exuded by the vents are extremely toxic, even in low doses.

Examine the distribution of oceanic hydrothermal vents around the world and look for patterns. How are the vents distributed?

Show me the answer

Explore the data table at the bottom of the map.

Click the Detach Table button in the Tool Box to the right of the map. This separates the table from the map, making it easier to use.

Show me

At the bottom of the table, move the scroll bar horizontally to observe all of the information in the table. To adjust the width of the columns, click and drag between the column titles (The title of a column in a data table is called its header). Make the "Name ID" column wide enough to display the full names of the locations of the vents.

Show me how

Click once on the "Name ID" column header to sort the column alphabetically. Then scroll down the "Name ID" column until you find the sites named "Galapagos". The discovery site is labeled Galapagos Rift, 95 W.

Show me how

Click on the Galapagos Rift, 95 W row in the table to highlight the discovery site and view its location on the global map. It will be highlighted on the map as a red dot.

Show me how

Use the Zoom In tool to view the topography around the discovery site more closely.

Show me how

To reconnect the table to the map, click the Attach Table button in the Tool Box.

Choose Bookmarks > Zoom to Global Scale to zoom the map back to full extent before moving on to the next step.

Step 5 - Explore Images from the Galapagos Discovery Expeditions

Right-click on a PC or control-click on a Mac to download this spreadsheet:
galapagos_discovery_images.xls (Excel 22kB Jan26 10)
Save the file to your desktop or to a location on your computer where you can find it easily.

Import the spreadsheet into GeoMapApp and configure the way the data is displayed by changing the Symbol Size to 25%.

Show me how to import the data

Choose File > Import Table or Spreadsheet > From Excel-formatted (.xls) file..., and browse to the location where you saved the file on your computer.
Select the file and click Open.
After GeoMapApp imports the file, click OK.
When the file is loaded, a configuration window and the layer manager window open.
Adjust the Symbol Size Percent to 25% in the configuration window. Click OK.

To view the Galapagos Discovery image locations in the main map window, click on the Zoom To button in the Layer Manager window.

Show me where to find the Zoom To button

The map is now zoomed into the image locations.

Show me how

In the Data Table below the map, click in the upper left cell in the first row (Sequence 1) to view the first image. An image viewer opens. Move it so you can see both the image and the map. Click and drag in the lower right corner of the viewer to increase its size if needed. Use the arrows in the image viewer to navigate through the Galapagos Discovery images. As you switch between images, the location of the image you are viewing is highlighted on the map with a red dot.