Scientists Find “Jacuzzi Of Despair” In Gulf Of Mexico

Featured Image Credit: nautilus2015.wordpress.com/
By Emily Persico

Thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico lies a lake, too dense to mix with its surroundings. Strangely saline and weirdly warm, this cauldron of death was coined the “Jacuzzi of Despair” because it instantly kills most anything that dares enter.

Image Credit: The Oceanography Society

The Jacuzzi of Despair formed long ago when large salt deposits on the seafloor cracked, spewing a slew of oil and gas. This acrid mix is in part kept separated from the rest of the Gulf by one of the only creatures able to survive in it: mussels. These strong-shelled little guys are the cement holding the lake’s 10 foot wall in place. They survive the harsh condition of the lake with the help of methane and hydrogen sulfide; metabolizing bacteria which live in their gills.

Image Credit: EV Nautilus via Youtube

Despite having a wall just 10 feet high, the Jacuzzi of Despair is too deep to currently measure. Its surface begins 3,300 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. From here, scientists measured 62 feet downward before their probe had to turn around.

Littered with the shells of lost crabs, the Jacuzzi of Despair gets hotter and hotter the deeper it goes. Who knows what lies waiting at the bottom?

Watch a video of the of severely salty lake below:

You can read more from our sources here.