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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPR, 9 40'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 9.6500 | -104.2600 | 2572 | 1989 Argo I towed video; 1991 submersible Alvin |
| EPR, 23 50'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -23.8233 | -115.4558 | 2650 | 2005 submersible Alvin; 1990 or earlier towed TV camera did not confirm activity |
| Lucky Strike | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.2933 | -32.2733 | 1740 | 1993 submersible Alvin; 1992 dredge and plume only |
| Prony Bay | active, confirmed | other | -22.3333 | 166.8333 | 50 | 1979 or earlier, likely SCUBA | |
| Mata Tolu | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Lau Basin | -15.0049 | -173.7936 | 1900 | 2010 towed camera; 2009 plume and dredge only |
| Doyo Seamount | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Izu-Bonin Arc | 27.6833 | 140.8167 | 520 | 1990 submersible Shinkai 2000 |
| Bahia Concepcion | active, confirmed | other | Coastal Baja California | 26.6667 | -111.8333 | 15 | 1968 or earlier, likely by SCUBA |
| Aurora | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Gakkel Ridge | 82.8833 | -6.2500 | 4100 | 2001 shimmering water in camera tow and sulfide chimney in dredge |
| Sonne 99 | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | North Fiji Basin | -16.9500 | 173.9167 | 1980 | 1995 deep tow video and TV-grab |
| EPR, 3.9 N offset | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 3.9170 | -102.2330 | 2875 | 1989 or earlier Deep Tow photographs (cruise RIFTS or PAPATUA) |
| Tarama Knoll | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 25.0916 | 124.5416 | 1990 | 2009 ROV HyperDolphin |
| Milos | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Hellenic Arc, Aegean Sea | 36.6667 | 24.5167 | 200 | 1987 or earlier, likely by SCUBA; 1992 Minirover ROV deeper sites |
| Vailulu'u Seamount | active, confirmed | intra-plate volcano | Central Pacific | -14.2167 | -169.0667 | 1000 | 2005 submersible Pisces V; 2000 plume only |
| Bounty Seamount | active, confirmed | intra-plate volcano | Central Pacific | -25.1667 | -129.4000 | 420 | 1999 submersible Nautile; 1989 plume only |
| Vulcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Aeolian Arc, Tyrrhenian Sea | 38.4000 | 15.0000 | 8 | 1960's shallow vents |
| Nolan's Nook | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -31.1500 | -111.9167 | 2330 | 1999 submersible Alvin; 1998 plume only |
| Calypso Vents | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Taupo Volcanic Zone | -37.6800 | 177.1170 | 200 | 1989 submersible Soucoup |
| Adventure Caldera | active, confirmed | arc volcano | South Sandwich Arc | -59.7210 | -27.8571 | 520 | 2011 SHRIMP towed camera system; 2010 high resolution bathymetry only |
| Saguaro Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -31.8500 | -112.0333 | 2330 | 1999 submersible Alvin; 1998 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 |
| EPR, 1.4 S, off-axis | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -1.3690 | -102.4560 | 3000 | 2008 towed video |
| Hot Beach, Mendeleev Volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kuril Arc | 43.9760 | 145.7360 | 1 | 1990 or earlier, from the beach |
| Alice Springs Field | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 18.2103 | 144.7073 | 3640 | 1987 submersible Alvin; 1982 plume only |
| Flow | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 46.5250 | -129.5783 | 2390 | 1993 ROV ROPOS |
| EPR, 9 47'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 9.7750 | -104.2802 | 2560 | 1989 Argo I towed video; 1991 submersible Alvin |
| Mata Ua | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Lau Basin | -15.0166 | -173.7833 | 2397 | 2012 ROV Quest 4000; 2010 plume only (towed camera did not confirm) |
| 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 |
| Perseverance | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 15.4802 | 144.5077 | 3935 | 2016 ROV SuBastian; 2015 AUV Sentry plume mapping |
| 13 N Ridge Site | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 13.0987 | 143.6886 | 3036 | 2000 deep-tow camera (later, same year - ROV Kaiko) |
| Minami-Ensei Knoll | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 28.3917 | 127.6417 | 740 | 1988 deep tow TV surveys followed by submersible Shinkai 2000; 1986 dredged Calyptogena shells |