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 Settingsort descending Region Latitude Longitude Maximum or Single Reported Depth Year and How Discovered
West Fiji Ridge active, inferred back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -17.0000 176.0000 3000 1995 deep tow
Kueishan Island active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 24.8333 121.9500 30 1999, likely by SCUBA
Perseverance active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Mariana Trough 15.4802 144.5077 3935 2016 ROV SuBastian; 2015 AUV Sentry plume mapping
FRSC, RC 129 and CTD 24 plume sites active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -17.0250 -174.5017 1750 2004 plume only; 2004 dredging
Starfish Seamount, Tinakula active, confirmed back-arc spreading center New Hebrides back-arc -12.2028 167.6139 1204 2011 commercial ROV; 1989 plume only; 1989 towed camera survey did not confirm activity; 2002 plume and dredge only
MTJ, T08C01 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.9629 -174.7961 2400 2008 plume only
Tahi Moana 2 active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -21.9200 -176.5330 1870 1989 submersible Nautile (need reference to check if activity confirmed); 2004 plume only; 2008 commercial ROV (report does not confirm activity)
MTJ, PAPATUA active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.3850 -174.6430 2170 1986 PAPATUA Expedition deposits only; 2008 plume only
C-ELSC, plume 14 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -21.3200 -176.3640 2100 2004 plume only
Sonne 99 active, confirmed back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -16.9500 173.9167 1980 1995 deep tow video and TV-grab
FRSC, 11a-3 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -16.7950 -174.5230 2000 2008 plume only
N-ELSC, plume 25 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -19.8900 -176.0640 2680 2004 plume only
Marsili active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Tyrrhenian Back-Arc Basin, Tyrrhenian Sea 39.2600 14.3780 800 2006 ROV Cherokee; 1989 shimmering water but did not confirm activity
Deception Island active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Bransfield Strait -62.9500 -60.6500 100 1995 or earlier intertidal
Kueishan Island, offshore active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 24.8333 122.0000 1200 2008 or earlier
FRSC, South Central active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -16.6667 -174.5167 1820 2004 plume only; 2006 plume and chimney samples; 2009 camera tow and sampling (activity not confirmed)
Station 58, N160 Axis active, inferred back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -16.3167 173.5500 3900 1985 plume only; 1991 temperature anomalies but submersible Shinkai 6500 did not confirm activity
FRSC, Fonualei South active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -17.5352 -174.5668 1620 2012 ROV Quest 4000
Irabu Knoll active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 25.2300 124.8800 1850 2000 submersible Shinkai 6500; 1986 seafloor photos did not confirm activity
Pika active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Mariana Trough 12.9183 143.6483 2990 2003 submersible Shinkai 6500; 2003 plume only
White Island active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Taupo Volcanic Zone -37.5191 177.1953 30 1989 or earlier, likely SCUBA
Tahi Moana 7 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.3300 -174.2500 1940 2004 plume only; 2008 plume only; 2009 video camera tow (activity not confirmed)
Extensional Relay Zone A active, inferred back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -16.1667 177.4167 2335 1999 towed camera did not confirm activity
C-ELSC, plume 15 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -21.2700 -176.3470 2230 2004 plume only
Hook Ridge active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Bransfield Strait -62.1940 -57.2745 1080 1997 hot sediment; 1995 plume only; 1999 even hotter sediment
FRSC, T12A-01 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -17.7850 -174.5260 500 2012 plume only
N-ELSC, plume 26 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -19.8200 -176.0420 2600 2004 plume only
Central Andaman Trough, rift valley, dredges 9 and 10 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Andaman Basin 10.4166 94.1666 3350 1994 deposits only
NWLSC, Southern Caldera active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.9000 -177.4166 2160 2008 plume only
VFR, ELSC7 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -22.8833 -176.7500 2050 2009 plume and dredge only

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To display the full list of Vent Fields, and for export to a CSV file, please click HERE.

The InterRidge Vents Database is hosted by InterRidge at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), France.
This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License
For more information, contact Stace Beaulieu, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA

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