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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubbylon | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.8000 | -31.5333 | 1000 | 2010 ROV MARUM-QUEST, same cruise as plume discovered by multibeam echosounder |
| Nolan's Nook | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -31.1500 | -111.9167 | 2330 | 1999 submersible Alvin; 1998 plume only |
| Kraternaya Bight, Ushishir Volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kuril Arc | 47.5167 | 152.8000 | 60 | 1985 SCUBA |
| EPR, 11 24'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 11.4000 | -103.7800 | 2580 | 1990 submersible Alvin; 1988 submersible Alvin dive #1994 (need reference to confirm activity) |
| Vailulu'u Seamount | active, confirmed | intra-plate volcano | Central Pacific | -14.2167 | -169.0667 | 1000 | 2005 submersible Pisces V; 2000 plume only |
| Methana | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Hellenic Arc, Aegean Sea | 37.6150 | 23.3360 | 10 | nearshore: since antiquity; offshore: 1997 SCUBA |
| Central Cleft, off-axis | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 44.7583 | -130.2750 | 2200 | 2000 ROV Tiburon |
| Daikoku volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 21.3240 | 144.1940 | 450 | 2004 ROV ROPOS; 2003 plume only |
| Daisan-Kume Knoll | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Ryukyu Arc | 26.3020 | 126.4125 | 1370 | 2015 ROV Kaiko; 2014 ROV Hyper Dolphin 3000 Dive 1761 may have confirmed; 2014 AUV temperature anomaly |
| Clark volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kermadec Arc | -36.4490 | 177.8400 | 930 | 2005 submersible Pisces V; 1999 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 |
| Vulkanolog | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kermadec Arc | -30.6870 | -178.4530 | 130 | 1979 and 1998 (need to check references); 2002 plume not detected NZAPLUME II |
| Snake Pit | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 23.3683 | -44.9500 | 3500 | 1985 real-time TV and imaging sonar; earlier in 1985 seafloor photographs did not confirm activity |
| EPR, Ridge 3, 20 40'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -20.3333 | -113.6792 | 3050 | 1983 Deep Tow camera |
| Ashadze-2 | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 12.9917 | -44.9067 | 3300 | 2007 ROV Victor 6000; 2005 TV profiling, plume, and dredge did not confirm activity |
| Tempus Fugit | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 0.7683 | -85.9100 | 2560 | 2011 ROV Little Hercules |
| Montserrat Offshore Springs | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Lesser Antilles Arc | 16.7100 | -62.2300 | 10 | 1996 or earlier (assume SCUBA) |
| EPR, 26.5 S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -26.4833 | -112.6250 | 2064 | 1993 submersible Nautile (or earlier) |
| Ringvent | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Gulf of California | 27.5083 | -111.6792 | 1740 | 2016 submersible Alvin; 2009 towed camera/CTD/bottles |
| Forecast | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 13.4000 | 143.9166 | 1470 | 1992 submersible Shinkai 6500 |
| Omuro Hole | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Izu-Bonin Arc | 34.5467 | 139.4417 | 200 | 2012 ROV Hyper-Dolphin |
| Rumble III volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kermadec Arc | -35.7333 | 178.4667 | 380 | 2000 towed camera; 1999 plume only |
| Mata Fitu | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Lau Basin | -14.9166 | -173.7833 | 2750 | 2010 towed camera |
| Tahi Moana 1 | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -20.6900 | -176.1800 | 2256 | 2008 commercial ROV; 2004 plume only |
| North Cleft, high temperature | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 44.9800 | -130.2000 | 2300 | 1987 camera/CTD tows discovered low-temperature vents; 1988 submersible Alvin sampled low-temperature vents; 1990 submersible Alvin discovered black smoker |
| Kueishan Island | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 24.8333 | 121.9500 | 30 | 1999, likely by SCUBA |
| Logatchev-1 | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 14.7520 | -44.9785 | 3050 | 1993-1994 TV grab and towed photo system; 1995 submersible Mir followed by submersible Nautile |
| TAG | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 26.1367 | -44.8267 | 3670 | 1985 towed camera and temperature anomaly; 1986 submersible Alvin |
| EPR, 9 17'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 9.2800 | -104.2166 | 2585 | 1989 Argo I towed video |
| Middle Valley, Bent Hill Massive Sulfide | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 48.4341 | -128.6812 | 2440 | 1990 HOV Alvin, 1985 deposits only |