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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eolo Seamount | active, inferred | arc volcano | Aeolian Arc, Tyrrhenian Sea | 38.5800 | 14.1667 | 800 | 1976 Fe crusts only; 2007 plume only; 2011 ROV Hercules but can not confirm based on Carey et al. (2012) |
| Peggy Ridge | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -16.9233 | -176.8250 | 1900 | 1975 or earlier rock samples only; inactive in systematic survey on Arculus cruise SS07/2008 |
| Sakai | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 27.5481 | 126.9895 | 1600 | 1988 submersible Shinkai 2000; 1987 plume only |
| Solwara 17 | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Manus Basin | -3.0380 | 147.5280 | 535 | 2009 commercial ROV Fugro FV300; 2008 plumes with some sites subsequently observed with ROV |
| Tripartite Ridge, south of TR3 | inactive | back-arc spreading center | North Fiji Basin | -14.0745 | 175.4729 | 3000 | NotProvided |
| Tahi Moana 1 | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -20.6900 | -176.1800 | 2256 | 2008 commercial ROV; 2004 plume only |
| Tafu | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -15.3833 | -174.2500 | 1400 | 2008 or 2009 commercial ROV; 2008 plume only; 2009 ROV Jason II |
| SPOT, Yonaguni Knoll IV | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 24.8490 | 122.7000 | 1385 | 2000 submersibles Shinkai 2000 and Shinkai 6500 |
| Mussel Valley | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | North Fiji Basin | -18.8167 | 173.4833 | 2700 | 1989 submersible Nautile; 1987 plume; 1988 towed camera did not confirm activity |
| Higa | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 26.5550 | 126.2233 | 1485 | 2015 ROV Kaiko |
| VFR, unnamed | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -22.5150 | -176.6500 | 1970 | 2004 plume only |
| CLSC, A3 | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -18.6000 | -176.4500 | 2500 | 1990 submersible Mir |
| 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 |
| Okinawa Trough, Site ES1 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 30.3303 | 129.0827 | 521 | 1992 dredge only |
| Mariana Trough, 18.2 N | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 18.1080 | 144.7380 | 3916 | 2015 plume only |
| 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) |
| N-ELSC, plume 29 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -19.6000 | -175.9750 | 2700 | 2004 plume only |
| Pere Lachaise | inactive | back-arc spreading center | North Fiji Basin | -16.9667 | 173.9333 | 2000 | 1989 submersible Nautile did not find activity; 1991 submersible Shinkai 6500 did not find activity |
| Izena Cauldron | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 27.2667 | 127.0833 | 1610 | 1988 submersible Shinkai 2000 |
| Solwara 18 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Manus Basin | -3.0760 | 147.2390 | 1308 | 2008 plumes with some sites subsequently observed with ROV; 2009 commercial ROV Fugro FV300 (activity not confirmed) |
| Misiteli | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -22.4700 | -176.7030 | 2050 | 2008 commercial ROV; 2003 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 |
| central Manus Basin, Bismarck Sea | inactive | back-arc spreading center | Manus Basin | -3.4199 | 150.1681 | 2500 | NotProvided |
| MTJ, T08C05 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -15.5134 | -174.7407 | 2100 | 2008 plume only |
| Alice Springs Field | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 18.2103 | 144.7073 | 3640 | 1987 submersible Alvin; 1982 plume only |
| Tangyin | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 25.0667 | 122.5667 | 1206 | 2014 likely by dredging or ROV during the HOBAB3 cruise on R/V Kexue |
| Vienna Woods | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Manus Basin | -3.1667 | 150.2833 | 2500 | 1990 TV-grab (also same year, sampled by submersible Mir); 1985 (or 1986) camera tow vent fauna and inactive chimneys |
| CLSC, CL_7 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -18.1333 | -176.3667 | 2250 | 2009 plume only |
| Okinawa Trough, Site ES2 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 28.8137 | 128.1028 | 779 | 1992 dredge only |
| NELSC, T08C09 and T08C18 | active, inferred | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -15.4030 | -174.2630 | 1800 | 2008 plume only |