Vent Fields
Welcome to the InterRidge Global Database of Active Submarine Hydrothermal Vent Fields (the “InterRidge Vents Database”).
To sort the list of Vent Fields, click on a column header.
To view details for a specific Vent Field, click on the Name ID.
To view the subset of Vent Fields that contain a specific category, click on the category (for example, "active, confirmed" in the "Activity" column).
| Vent Field Name ID | Activity |
Tectonic Setting |
Region | Latitude | Longitude | Maximum or Single Reported Depth | Year and How Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aden | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Aden Ridge | 11.9500 | 43.6667 | 1600 | 1984 submersible Cyana |
| EPR, 26 10'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -26.2050 | -112.6133 | 2600 | 1987 or earlier [need to check Marchig & Gundlach (1987)]; 2005 submersible Alvin did not observe active vents |
| CIR, 8-17 S, Segment 5, 12.6 S | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | CIR | -12.6000 | 66.1000 | 3800 | 2010 plume only |
| Mount Jourdanne | inactive | mid-ocean ridge | SWIR | -27.8500 | 63.9333 | 2940 | 1998 submersible Shinkai 6500 |
| EPR, 9 40'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 9.6500 | -104.2600 | 2572 | 1989 Argo I towed video; 1991 submersible Alvin |
| South Cleft | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 44.6667 | -130.3667 | 2250 | 1981 deep-tow photographs; 1984 submersible Alvin |
| Galapagos Rift, 95.5 W | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 2.6700 | -95.4500 | 3200 | 1990 submersible Alvin did not confirm activity |
| Logatchev-2 | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 14.7200 | -44.9380 | 2760 | 2007 ROV VICTOR 6000; 1993-1994 TV grab and towed photo system did not confirm activity; 1996-1998 video imaging and sampling did not confirm activity |
| S Oceanographer | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 34.8670 | -36.4330 | 3460 | 1992 plume only |
| EPR, 10 44.6'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 10.7433 | -103.6500 | 2580 | 1985 Argo video tow with temperature |
| MAR, 7 57'S | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | S MAR | -7.9500 | -13.4420 | 2600 | 2001 plume only |
| Alarcon Rise, Ja Sit | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Gulf of California | 23.3765 | -108.5315 | 2304 | 2012 ROV Doc Ricketts |
| EPR, 16 24'S | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -16.4000 | -113.0500 | 2640 | 1993 plume only |
| Gakkel Ridge, Site 7 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | Gakkel Ridge | 86.9833 | 55.5000 | 3800 | 2001 plume only |
| EPR, 30.1 S, Segment E1 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -30.1330 | -111.7640 | 2480 | 1998 plume only |
| Seven Sisters | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | Kolbeinsey Ridge | 71.1500 | -12.7900 | 2200 | 2012 plume only; 2013 ROV Aglantha (may have confirmed); 2013 plume only |
| SEIR-WXC17 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | SEIR | -50.3000 | 133.8000 | 2780 | 2015 plume only |
| Evan | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.2667 | -32.2833 | 1775 | 2006 submersible Nautile |
| EPR/Tamayo intersection | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 22.9333 | -108.0667 | 3200 | 1979 submersible Alvin did not confirm activity |
| Guaymas Basin, Northern Trough | inactive | mid-ocean ridge | Gulf of California | 27.3050 | -111.5067 | 2000 | 1977 submersible Seacliff (hydrothermal deposits only) |
| SWIR, D20 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | SWIR | -53.0200 | 22.1880 | 4170 | 2000-2001 plume and dredge only |
| GEISEIR site 24, segment M3 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | SEIR | -43.0369 | 91.0357 | 2400 | 2009 plume only |
| EPR, 14 18'S | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -14.3000 | -112.6670 | 2630 | 1993 plume only |
| GEISEIR site 13, segment L1 | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | SEIR | -41.0125 | 86.0608 | 2800 | 2010 plume only |
| Discovery Deep | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | Red Sea | 21.2830 | 38.0500 | 2100 | 1965 "confirmed" hot brine and cored seafloor, but see Table 1 in Miller et al. (1966) for historical measurements |
| EPR, 18 10'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -18.1700 | -113.3440 | 2700 | 1993 submersible Nautile; 1983 temperature and light attenuation anomalies |
| Sasquatch Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 47.9969 | -129.0662 | 2200 | 2000 submersible Alvin |
| Iguanas-Pinguinos | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 2.1000 | -91.9350 | 1640 | 2005 towed video Medea |
| MAR, 14 54'N | active, inferred | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 14.9200 | -44.9000 | 3500 | 1988 or earlier seafloor photographs did not confirm hydrothermal activity |
| Tiancheng | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | SWIR | -27.9670 | 63.5500 | 3600 | 2014 HOV Jiaolong; 1997 plume only; 2009 DY115-20 Leg 7 plume and deposits; |