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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Eifuku | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 21.4850 | 144.0430 | 1604 | 2004 ROV ROPOS; 2003 plume only |
| Kueishan Island, offshore | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 24.8333 | 122.0000 | 1200 | 2008 or earlier |
| Hafa Adai | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 16.9570 | 144.8680 | 3294 | 2016 ROV Deep Discoverer; 2015 AUV Sentry plume mapping |
| Nikko volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 23.0833 | 142.3333 | 600 | 1992 submersible Shinkai 6500; 1979 first observed discolored water above the seamount |
| Stanton Seamount | active, confirmed | arc volcano | New Hebrides Arc | -10.8670 | 166.7000 | 800 | 2002 towed video |
| Loki's Castle | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Mohns Ridge | 73.5500 | 8.1500 | 2400 | 2008 ROV Bathysaurus |
| 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 |
| Prony Bay | active, confirmed | other | -22.3333 | 166.8333 | 50 | 1979 or earlier, likely SCUBA | |
| Champagne Hot Springs | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Lesser Antilles Arc | 15.2500 | -61.3830 | 5 | 2001 or earlier (assume SCUBA) |
| Mokuyo Seamount | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Izu-Bonin Arc | 28.3200 | 140.5800 | 1200 | 1990 submersible Shinkai 2000 |
| White Church | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -21.9612 | -176.5234 | 1960 | 1989 submersible Nautile; 2004 plume survey |
| EPR, 13 N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 12.8333 | -103.9500 | 2630 | 1982 submersible Cyana; 1981 towed camera, dredging, and plume did not confirm activity |
| Dodo Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | CIR | -18.3470 | 65.3050 | 2730 | 2009 submersible Shinkai 6500; 2006 plume only |
| Kasuga 2 Seamount | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 21.6000 | 143.6167 | 500 | 1987 submersible Alvin |
| EPR, 9 40'N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 9.6500 | -104.2600 | 2572 | 1989 Argo I towed video; 1991 submersible Alvin |
| TOTO Caldera | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 12.7167 | 143.5333 | 2960 | 2000 deep-tow camera (later, same year - ROV Kaiko); 1998 or earlier hydrothermal deposits dredged; 1998 plume only |
| Snail | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 12.9533 | 143.6200 | 2880 | 2003 ROV Jason II; 2003 plume only |
| EPR, 37 40'S Axial Dome | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Pacific-Antarctic Ridge | -37.6667 | -110.8667 | 2240 | 1997 video survey L'Atalante (do not know if activity confirmed); 1995 TV survey did not confirm activity; 2001 towed video and TV-grab definitely confirmed |
| Galapagos Mounds | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 1.4500 | -86.1665 | 2700 | 1977 submersible Alvin |
| Rainbow | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 36.2300 | -33.9020 | 2320 | 1997 submersible Nautile |
| Maka | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -15.4217 | -174.2850 | 1660 | 2008 commercial ROV; 2004 plume only; 2006 plume and chimney samples |
| 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 |
| Tarama Knoll | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 25.0916 | 124.5416 | 1990 | 2009 ROV HyperDolphin |
| 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 |
| Calyfield | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 0.8300 | -89.6083 | 1660 | 2002 submersible Alvin |
| Menez Gwen | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.8417 | -31.5250 | 865 | 1994 submersible Nautile |
| Giggenbach volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kermadec Arc | -30.0333 | -178.7167 | 180 | 2005 submersible PISCES V; 2002 plume only |
| Salty Dawg Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 47.9822 | -129.0756 | 2200 | 1995 submersible Alvin, followed by ROV ROPOS |
| Mariana Mounds | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 18.0333 | 144.2833 | 3600 | 1987 submersible Alvin |