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A hydrothermal vent

A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found in places that are also volcanically active, where hot magma is relatively near the planet's surface. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1220x1804, 532 KB) en: Black smoker at a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent de: Black Smoker im Atlantischen Ozean Taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1220x1804, 532 KB) en: Black smoker at a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent de: Black Smoker im Atlantischen Ozean Taken from http://www. ... Volcano 1. ... Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other rocky planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ...

Hydrothermal vents are abundant on Earth because it is both geologically active and has large amounts of water on its surface. Common land types include hot springs, fumaroles and geysers. The most famous hydrothermal vent system is probably Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57 F or... Sulfur deposits near a fumarole A fumarole (Latin fumus, smoke) is an opening in Earths (or any other astronomical bodys) crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emit steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. ... Strokkur geyser, Iceland A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. ... Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. ...

Relative to the majority of the deep sea, the areas around hydrothermal vents are biologically productive, often hosting complex communities fueled by the chemicals dissolved in the vent fluids. Chemosynthetic archaea form the base of the food chain, supporting diverse organisms, including giant tube worms, clams, and shrimp. Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of 1-carbon molecules (usually carbon dioxide or methane) and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (e. ... Phyla / Classes Phylum Crenarchaeota Phylum Euryarchaeota     Halobacteria     Methanobacteria     Methanococci     Methanopyri     Archaeoglobi     Thermoplasmata     Thermococci Phylum Korarchaeota Phylum Nanoarchaeota Archaea (; from Greek αρχαία, ancient ones; singular Archaeum, Archaean, or Archaeon), also called Archaebacteria (), is a major division of living organisms. ... Binomial name Riftia pachyptila M. L. Jones, 1981 Giant tube worms are marine invertebrates in the phylum Annelida (formerly grouped in phylum Pogonophora) related to tubeworms commonly found in the intertidal and pelagic zones. ... Littleneck clams: Rocks with food inside. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ...

Active hydrothermal vents are believed to exist on Jupiter's moon Europa, and ancient hydrothermal vents have been speculated to exist on Mars.^[1] Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 1 µPa Oxygen 100% Europa (ew-roe-pÉ™, IPA:  ; Greek Ευρώπη) is a moon of the planet Jupiter. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ...

Exploration

In 1949 a deep water survey reported anomalously hot brines in the central portions of the Red Sea. Later work in the 1960s confirmed the presence of hot, 60 °C, saline brines and associated metalliferous muds. The hot solutions were emanating from an active subseafloor rift. The highly saline character of the waters were not hospitable to living organisms. The brines and associated muds are currently under investigation as a source of mineable precious and base metals. Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rift valley. ...

Submarine hydrothermal vents (black smokers in this case) were discovered along the Galapagos Rift, a spur of the East Pacific Rise, in 1977 by Jack Corliss, Jerry van Andel, and Robert Ballard through the use of deep sea submersibles. Despite their inaccessible location on ocean floors, many have been thoroughly mapped and explored. A black smoker in the Atlantic Ocean Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. ... The East Pacific Rise is a long north-south welt of seafloor spreading under the eastern Pacific Ocean from near Antarctica in the south northward to its termination at the northern end of the Gulf of California in the Salton Sea basin in southern Pennsylvania California. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... John B. (Jack) Corliss is a scientist who has worked in the fields of geology, oceanography, and the origins of life. ... Dr. Robert D. Ballard Robert Duane Ballard Ph. ...

In 2005 Neptune Resources NL, a mineral exploration company, applied for and was granted 35,000 km² of exploration rights over the Kermadec Arc in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone to explore for seafloor massive sulfide deposits, a potential new source of lead-zinc-copper sulfides formed from modern hydrothermal vent fields. Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... Seafloor massive sulfide deposits or SMS deposits, are modern equivalents of ancient volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits or VMS deposits. ... For PB or pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Atomic mass 65. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Atomic mass 63. ...

Physical properties

Hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean typically form along the Mid-ocean ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These are locations where upwellings of ascending mantle plumes occur between two tectonic plates at a divergent boundary.^[2] A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. ... Courtesy USGS The ridge was central in the breakup of Pangaea that began some 180 million years ago. ... A lava lamp illustrates the basic concept of a mantle plume. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary (divergent fault boundary or divergent plate boundary), (but also known as a constructive boundary or an extensional boundary) is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. ...

The water that issues from seafloor hydrothermal vents consists mostly of sea water drawn into the hydrothermal system close to the volcanic edifice through faults and porous sediments or volcanic strata, plus some magmatic water released by the upwelling magma. Sea water is water from a sea or ocean. ... Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other rocky planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ...

In terrestrial hydrothermal systems the majority of water circulated within the fumarole and geyser systems is meteoric water plus ground water that has percolated down into the thermal system from the surface, but it also commonly contains some portion of metamorphic waters, sedimentary formational brines and magmatic water that is released by the magma. The proportion varies from location to location. Meteoric water is a hydrologic term of long standing for water in the ground which originates from precipitation. ... Groundwater is any water found below the land surface. ... Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. ...

The water emerges from a hydrothermal vent at temperatures ranging up to 400°C, compared to a typical 2°C for the surrounding deep ocean water. The high pressure at these depths significantly expands the thermal range at which water remains liquid, and so the water doesn't boil. Water at a depth of 3,000 m and a temperature of 407°C becomes supercritical.^[3] However the increase in salinity pushes the water closer to its critical point. A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its thermodynamic critical point. ... In physical chemistry, thermodynamics, chemistry and condensed matter physics, a critical point, also called a critical state, specifies the conditions (temperature, pressure) at which the liquid state of the matter ceases to exist. ...

Some hydrothermal vents form roughly cylindrical chimney structures. These form from minerals that are dissolved in the vent fluid. When the super-heated water contacts the near-freezing sea water, the minerals precipitate out to form particles which add to the height of the stacks. Some of these chimney structures can reach heights of 60 m.^[4] An example of such a towering vent is "Godzilla", a structure in the Pacific Ocean near Oregon that rose to 40 m before it fell over. Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ...

The initial stages of a vent chimney begin with the deposition of the mineral anhydrite. Sulfides of copper, iron and zinc then precipitate in the chimney gaps, making it less porous over the course of time. Vent growths on the order of 30 cm per day have been recorded.^[5] Anhydrite is a mineral - anhydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4. ... Formally, sulfide is the dianion, S2−, which exists in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions formed from H2S or alkali metal salts such as Li2S, Na2S, and K2S. Sulfide is exceptionally basic and, with a pKa > 14, it does not exist in appreciable concentrations even in highly alkaline water. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Atomic mass 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Atomic mass 65. ...

Chimney structures that emit a cloud of black material are called "black smokers", named for the dark hue of the particles they emit. The black smokers typically emit particles with high levels of metal sulfides. Vents that emit lighter-hued minerals have also been discovered, and these are named "white smokers". They are typically lower in temperature than black smokers, and are deficient in copper, iron and hydrogen sulfide, while being rich in zinc.^[5] A black smoker in the Atlantic Ocean Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. ... Hydrogen sulfide (hydrogen sulphide in British English), H2S, is a colorless, toxic, flammable gas that is responsible for the foul odor of rotten eggs and flatulence. ...

Biological communities

A hydrothermal vent community depends on chemosynthetic bacteria for food. The water that comes out of the hydrothermal vent is both rich in dissolved minerals and chemosynthetic bacteria. These bacteria use sulfur compounds to produce organic material through the process of chemosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of 1-carbon molecules (usually carbon dioxide or methane) and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (e. ...

The bacteria then grow into a thick mat which attracts other organisms such as amphipods and copepods which graze upon the bacteria directly. Larger organisims such as snails, shrimp, crabs, tube worms, fish, and octopuses form a food chain of predator and prey relationships above the herbivores. The ecosystem so formed is reliant upon the continued existence of the hydrothermal vent field as the primary source of energy, which is dissimilar to the wider Earth where solar energy is the basis for life. Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica) The name snail applies to most members of the molluscan Class Gastropoda that have coiled shells. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Phthirus pubis Pubic lice (Phthirus pubis), also known as crabs , are one of the many varieties of lice (singular louse) specialized to live on different areas of different animals. ... Siboglinidae is a family of annelid worms whose members formerly made up the phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Families 11 in two suborders, see text. ... Food chains, food webs and/or food networks describe the feeding relationships between species in a biotic community. ...

Tube worms are a main part of a hydrothermal vent. The tube worms are unique in that they directly absorb nutrients into their tissues. The two species that inhabite a hydrothermal vent are Tevnia jerichonana, and Riftia pachyptila.

Other examples of the unique fauna who inhabits this ecosystem is a snail armoured with scales made up of iron and organic materials, and the Pompeii Worm who is capable of withstand temperatures up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... Binomial name Alvinella pompejana The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) is a deep-sea polychaete worm found only at hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean. ...

Over 300 new species have been discovered at hydrothermal vents.[1]

References

1. ^ http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/mars_society_conference_010515-1.html
2. ^ A. Koschinsky, C. Devey (1989). "Deep-Sea Heat Record: Scientists Observe Highest Temperature Ever Registered at the Sea Floor". Geophysical Research Letters 16: 433-436. 
3. ^ A. Koschinsky, C. Devey (2006-05-22). Deep-Sea Heat Record: Scientists Observe Highest Temperature Ever Registered at the Sea Floor (English). International University Bremen. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
4. ^ Sid Perkins (2001). "New type of hydrothermal vent looms large". Science News 160 (2): 21. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Tivey, Margaret K. (1998-12-01). How to Build a Black Smoker Chimney: The Formation of Mineral Deposits At Mid-Ocean Ridges (English). Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.

• Degens, Egon T. (ed.), 1969, Hot Brines and Recent Heavy Metal Deposits in the Red Sea, 600 pp, Springer-Verlag.
• Glyn Ford and Jonathan Simnett, Silver from the Sea, September/October 1982, Volume 33, Number 5, Saudi Aramco World Accessed 17 October 2005
• Neptune Minerals Ltd webpage - Exploring SMS deposits
• Ballard, Robert D., 2000, The Eternal Darkness, Princeton University Press.
• http://www.botos.com/marine/vents01.html#body_4

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Black smoker
• Cold seep
• Fumarole
• Geyser
• Hot springs
• Lost City
• Origin of life
• Submarine volcano

A black smoker in the Atlantic Ocean Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. ... Tubeworms, soft corals and chemosynthetic mussels at a seep located 3,000 metres down on the Florida Escarpment. ... Sulfur deposits near a fumarole A fumarole (Latin fumus, smoke) is an opening in Earths (or any other astronomical bodys) crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emit steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. ... Strokkur geyser, Iceland A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. ... Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57°F or... An actively venting calcium carbonate chimney in the Lost City hydrothermal field Lost City is a field of hydrothermal vents in the mid-Atlantic ocean that differ significantly from the black smoker vents found in the late 1970s. ... Pre-Cambrian stromatolites in the Siyeh Formation, Glacier National Park. ... Submarine volcanoes and volcanic vents are common features on certain zones of the ocean floor. ...

External links

• Hydrothermal Vent Systems Information from the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• A new type of hydrothermal vent
• Vent geochemistry
• Everything you wanted to know about hydrothermal vents and the deep sea — Provided by New Scientist.

• a good overview of hydrothermal vent biology, published in 2006