Hydrothermal vents are found all over the world.
Hydrothermal vents are fissures on the seafloor where water heated by the Earth's core bubbles up. They can reach temperatures of up to 750 F (398.8 C).
'Hydro' is Greek and means 'water', which refers to how hot springs are formed when underground steam comes out through cracks in rocks or crevices undersea, that have been heated deep down inside the Earth with magma. When this happens, it causes extreme pressure changes that result in geysers (such as in Yellowstone).
We will discuss some interesting facts about hydrothermal vents. We will also talk about how they are formed and what kind of life can be found around them.
Types Of Hydrothermal Vents
There are three types of hydrothermal vents, namely, black smokers, white smokers, and sulfur chimneys.
Black smokers are hydrothermal vents that produce black smoke due to metals dissolved in the water. Black hydrothermal vents are formed when hydrothermal fluid carries minerals from deep within the Earth to the surface. They are similar to hot springs.
The first life to exist without energy from sunlight was discovered around a black smoker vent. It was at the black smoke rising from the Juan de Fuca Ridge's black smoker chimneys at the vent one hydrothermal vent site on the southern cleft segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
The hydrothermal fluid reacts with seawater, causing iron sulfide's chemical precipitation, which gives it its black coloration. It is also called a hot spring or a fumarole.
There are other types of hydrothermal vents, such as white smokers (cooler than black smokers), that produce sulfur gas, making them look yellow, orange, and other colors. Vent fluid from black smokers can even melt solid metal.
These colors depend on the type and the quantity of mineral content that has been dissolved in water, so each hydro vent will look different depending on where it's located.
White smokers are hydrothermal vents that produce white smoke due to the minerals dissolved in the water. On the other hand, sulfur chimneys are hydrothermal vents that produce sulfur gas, making them look yellow or orange.
Formation Of Hydrothermal Vents
The word hydro also relates to hydrochloric acid, another mineral containing hydrogen ions (H+) similar to sulfuric acid and does not contain any carbon atoms. Both these acids react with metals.
Hydrochloric acid (HCL) is more reactive because its ionization constant (K) or dissociation constant (Kw) is smaller than those of hydrofluoric acids, making HCL much stronger at higher pH values. Hence, it would react faster with metals like aluminum, producing hydrogen gas, while hydrofluoric does nothing, except hydrolyzing CaCO₃ into soluble Ca²⁺ salt solution and CO₂ gas.
Hydrothermal vents are formed when seawater mixes with hot magma below the Earth's crust as this creates hydrothermal fluids that can reach temperatures of up to 750 F (398.8 C).
Hydrothermal vents are not very common in the ocean because they require specific conditions, such as high water temperature and pressure. Hot seawater does not boil because of the tremendous pressure at the depths where hydrothermal vents form.
They also need a source of heat like magma or hot rocks below them, so it is hard for scientists to find hydrothermal vents deep undersea without using special equipment.
The Cayman Trench, a submarine depression on the floor of the western Caribbean Sea, is home to some of the world's deepest hydrothermal vents. Hydrothermal vent communities are some of the most diverse on Earth, with over 500 species identified so far.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents are home to unique ecosystems which do not require sunlight for photosynthesis as they rely on chemosynthetic bacteria.
Many valuable metals can be found around hydrothermal vents, including copper, zinc, and lead. These elements are necessary for the growth of chemosynthetic bacteria, which in turn provide energy for organisms living around them.
These metals are also mined using drilling or mining equipment as they are required to produce many industries, goods, and other products needed in our daily lives.
These hydrothermal vents are home to various extremophiles, including thermophilic (heat-loving) archaea and bacteria. The animals that live at hydrothermal vents have evolved to tolerate high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide and can survive without oxygen. The first hydrothermal vent community was found in the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.
FAQs
What is a hydrothermal vent?
A: A hydrothermal vent is a type of hot spring found on the seafloor. They form when water seeps down through cracks in the Earth's surface and gets heated up by the surrounding rocks.
This hot water then rises back to the surface, sometimes creating hydrothermal vents (also called sulfur chimneys). These vents can reach up to 750 F (398.8 C) and often have a strong smell of sulfur.
How deep are hydrothermal vents?
A: Hydrothermal vents are found in the deep sea. The deepest hydrothermal vent is 25,590 ft (7,800 m) deep.
What are the two types of hydrothermal vents?
A: The two types of hydrothermal vents are black smokers and white smokers.
Who discovered hydrothermal vents?
A: The first hydrothermal vent was discovered in 1977 by a team of scientists from the US Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Which valuable minerals are found around hydrothermal vents?
A: Many valuable minerals can be found around hydrothermal vents, including copper, zinc, and lead. These elements are necessary for the growth of chemosynthetic bacteria, which in turn provide energy for other organisms living around them. Minerals rich in iron, copper, zinc, and other metals form when the hot solution enters the cold seawater.
Which creatures belong to the community of organisms that live at hydrothermal vents?
A: Some of the creatures that belong to the community of organisms that live at hydrothermal vents include giant clams, tubeworms, white crabs, eyeless shrimp, and fish that can tolerate sulfides.
What causes hydrothermal vents?
A: Hydrothermal vents are formed when seawater mixes with hot magma below the Earth's crust. This creates hydrothermal fluids that can reach temperatures of up to 750 F (398.8 C).
Where would a scientist most likely find an Archaean when sampling carbonate hydrothermal vents?
A: A scientist would likely find an Archaean inside the chimney next to the warm vent flow when sampling carbonate hydrothermal vents.
