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
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
VFR, ELSC7 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -22.8833 -176.7500 2050 2009 plume and dredge only
Higa active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 26.5550 126.2233 1485 2015 ROV Kaiko
N-ELSC, plume 22 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.4000 -176.1580 2700 2004 plume only
ABE active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.7619 -176.1910 2220 2004 AUV ABE; 2004 plume only on previous cruise
Sumisu Rift active, inferred back-arc spreading center Izu-Bonin back-arc 31.1000 139.8917 1600 1987 submersible Alvin inactive chimneys only
Mariana Trough, Central Trough active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Mariana Trough 18.0467 144.7533 3676 1987 submersible Alvin
NE Pual active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Manus Basin -3.6754 151.7272 1875 2006 ROV Jason II
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
Bayonnaise Knoll caldera active, inferred back-arc spreading center Izu-Bonin back-arc 31.9667 139.7333 900 2003 temperature anomalies, but camera survey observed inactive vent deposits
Sonne 99 active, confirmed back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -16.9500 173.9167 1980 1995 deep tow video and TV-grab
N-ELSC, plume 25 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -19.8900 -176.0640 2680 2004 plume only
Central Andaman Trough, seamount crater, dredge 6 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Andaman Basin 10.0000 94.0000 1640 1994 deposits only
Hafa Adai active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Mariana Trough 16.9570 144.8680 3294 2016 ROV Deep Discoverer; 2015 AUV Sentry plume mapping
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
FRSC, Central active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -16.4917 -174.5417 2419 2004 plume only
C-ELSC, plume 18 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.9500 -176.2390 2230 2004 plume only
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
NELSC, T08C12 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.2179 -174.1788 2000 2008 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
east of Central Spreading Ridge inactive back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -15.4510 174.6902 3000 NotProvided
Tarama Knoll active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 25.0916 124.5416 1990 2009 ROV HyperDolphin
VFR, plume 12 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -21.7300 -176.4530 1910 2004 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
SuSu Knolls active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Manus Basin -3.8000 152.1000 1520 1996 towed camera/video; 1993 plume only
94SO2 active, inferred back-arc spreading center New Hebrides back-arc -19.4000 169.9000 980 1994 towed camera with temperature did not confirm activity
Mariner active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -22.1800 -176.6017 1910 2003 plume and camera tow; 2004 submersible Shinkai 6500
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

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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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