Magma Rising (Electronic book text)

The bull sperm whale-a sixty-foot long behemoth-while returning from Polar Regions makes a deep dive off the Azores, over the Mid Atlantic Ridge, to feed off the squid that abound there. Reaching the bottom he comes in contact with an ocean vent with its oasis of life thriving in the warmth and nutrients below and from the food trickling down from above. One of the life forms found here are the sea worms which grow in clumps to lengths of six feed and more. They harbor a unique chemistry that includes a symbiotic relationship with billions of bacteria that are largely responsible for sustaining life. While feeding, the whale contacts the worm's tentacles, and in the process is invaded by a rare strain of bacteria with pathological properties that are both subtle and highly contagious. When by a series of seemingly random events these pathogens reach the surface, they will begin to undermine the social structures of the peoples who inhabit the earth in ways never experienced before.