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, 13 N, Marginal High | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 12.7090 | -103.9160 | 2650 | 1984 submersible Cyana; 1981 towed camera, dredging, and plume did not confirm activity |
| EPR, 21 N | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N EPR | 20.8333 | -109.0833 | 2600 | 1979 submersible Alvin; 1978 submersible Cyana discovered mineral deposits only |
| EPR, 18 10'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -18.1700 | -113.3440 | 2700 | 1993 submersible Nautile; 1983 temperature and light attenuation anomalies |
| Rumble V volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Kermadec Arc | -36.1333 | 178.1833 | 755 | 2001 towed camera; 1999 plume and dredged mussel shells |
| Tarama Knoll | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 25.0916 | 124.5416 | 1990 | 2009 ROV HyperDolphin |
| Menez Gwen | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.8417 | -31.5250 | 865 | 1994 submersible Nautile |
| Deyin-1 | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S MAR | -15.1666 | -13.3558 | 2850 | 2012 TV-grab; 2011 deposits only; 2013 plume only |
| Kairei Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | CIR | -25.3195 | 70.0400 | 2460 | 2000 ROV Kaiko; 1993 plume only |
| DESMOS Cauldron | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Manus Basin | -3.6958 | 151.8717 | 2000 | 1990 deep-sea monitoring system (DESMOS) video and still cameras |
| Vailulu'u Seamount | active, confirmed | intra-plate volcano | Central Pacific | -14.2167 | -169.0667 | 1000 | 2005 submersible Pisces V; 2000 plume only |
| Tiancheng | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | SWIR | -27.9670 | 63.5500 | 3600 | 2014 HOV Jiaolong; 1997 plume only; 2009 DY115-20 Leg 7 plume and deposits; |
| Capo Palinuro | active, confirmed | other | Coastal Italy | 40.0167 | 15.2667 | 30 | 1990 or earlier, likely by SCUBA |
| Banda Api | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Banda/Sunda Arc | -4.5250 | 129.8710 | 3 | 1993 SCUBA |
| Santorini | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Hellenic Arc, Aegean Sea | 36.4333 | 25.4000 | 400 | 1960's, likely by SCUBA; 2006 deeper vents HOV Thetis and AUV SeaBED |
| EPR, 7 25'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -7.4167 | -107.8000 | 2750 | 1985/86 or 1989 TV grab (need to check references to confirm activity); 1998 submersible Alvin |
| SPOT, Hatoma Knoll | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Okinawa Trough | 24.8550 | 123.8410 | 1520 | 1999 submersible Shinkai 2000 |
| Kodakara-jima | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Ryukyu Arc | 29.2166 | 129.3333 | 10 | 1993 or earlier, likely by SCUBA |
| Niua North | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Tonga Arc | -15.0667 | -173.5667 | 1375 | 2012 ROV Quest 4000; 2008 plume only |
| East Diamante volcano | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Mariana Arc | 15.9300 | 145.6700 | 457 | 2004 ROV ROPOS; 2003 plume only |
| Niuatahi | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -15.3790 | -174.0196 | 1635 | 2009 ROV Jason II; 2003 plume only; 2004 dredging (SS11/2004 cruise); 2005 plume only; 2008 commercial ROV (report does not confirm activity) |
| Guaymas Basin, Northern Trough_2 | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Gulf of California | 27.4110 | -111.3879 | 1800 | 2015 ROV Hybis |
| Alice Springs Field | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Mariana Trough | 18.2103 | 144.7073 | 3640 | 1987 submersible Alvin; 1982 plume only |
| Suiyo Seamount | active, confirmed | arc volcano | Izu-Bonin Arc | 28.5750 | 140.6417 | 1380 | 1991 submersible Shinkai 2000 |
| 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 |
| Mariner | active, confirmed | back-arc spreading center | Lau Basin | -22.1800 | -176.6017 | 1910 | 2003 plume and camera tow; 2004 submersible Shinkai 6500 |
| High-Rise Field | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | JdF Ridge | 47.9666 | -129.0894 | 2200 | 1988 submersible Alvin |
| EPR, 18 15'S | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | S EPR | -18.2500 | -113.3500 | 2680 | 1993 submersible Nautile |
| Ringvent | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Gulf of California | 27.5083 | -111.6792 | 1740 | 2016 submersible Alvin; 2009 towed camera/CTD/bottles |
| Menez Hom | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | N MAR | 37.1500 | -32.4333 | 1802 | 2002 ROV Victor 6000 |
| Galapagos Mounds | active, confirmed | mid-ocean ridge | Galapagos Rift | 1.4500 | -86.1665 | 2700 | 1977 submersible Alvin |