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 ascending Region Latitude Longitude Maximum or Single Reported Depth Year and How Discovered
Sea Cliff active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge Gorda Ridge 42.7550 -126.7083 2800 1988 submersible Sea Cliff; 1985 plume only; 1986 dredge and camera tow did not confirm activity
Mount Jourdanne inactive mid-ocean ridge SWIR -27.8500 63.9333 2940 1998 submersible Shinkai 6500
S Oceanographer active, inferred mid-ocean ridge N MAR 34.8670 -36.4330 3460 1992 plume only
Lucky Strike segment, southern end active, inferred mid-ocean ridge N MAR 37.0500 -32.4200 2600 1994 plume only
SEIR-WXC22 active, inferred mid-ocean ridge SEIR -50.2500 132.1000 2950 2015 plume only
EPR, 21 20'S active, inferred mid-ocean ridge S EPR -21.3670 -114.2570 2900 1981 plume only; 1987-1988 deposits only
Zenith-Victory inactive mid-ocean ridge N MAR 20.1292 -45.6225 2390 2008 (need citation to confirm that the field was discovered by TV-profiling and dredging)
Gakkel Ridge, 85 E active, inferred mid-ocean ridge Gakkel Ridge 85.6500 84.8333 3900 2001 plume only; 2007 towed video did not confirm activity
SWIR, D82 active, inferred mid-ocean ridge SWIR -52.2080 15.5830 4100 2000-2001 plume only
EPR, 1.4 S, off-axis active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge S EPR -1.3690 -102.4560 3000 2008 towed video
MAR, 43 N active, inferred mid-ocean ridge N MAR 43.0000 -29.0000 3400 1986 or earlier plume only
CIR, 8-17 S, Segment 4, 10.9 S active, inferred mid-ocean ridge CIR -10.9000 66.7000 3500 2010 plume only
Gorda Ridge, EP96A active, inferred mid-ocean ridge Gorda Ridge 42.6790 -126.7820 3150 1996 camera/temperature tow followed by ROV did not confirm hydrothermal activity
Semyenov-2 active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge N MAR 13.5137 -44.9630 2440 2009 TV grab and photo-TV profiling; 2007 deposits only
Chile Rise, Segment N9A active, inferred mid-ocean ridge Chile Rise -39.0500 -91.5833 3450 1998 plume only
EPR, 31.4 S, Segment E4 active, inferred mid-ocean ridge S EPR -31.4330 -111.9670 2350 1998 plume only
EPR, northern 17 N segment active, inferred mid-ocean ridge N EPR 17.6700 -105.0050 2800 1997 plume only
Ribeira Quente active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge Terceira Rift 37.7250 -25.3160 10 1986 or earlier, likely from shore or by SCUBA
Reykjanes Ridge, Area A active, inferred mid-ocean ridge Reykjanes Ridge 62.4500 -25.4330 500 NotProvided
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
DSDP Hole 504B inactive mid-ocean ridge Galapagos Rift 1.2267 -83.7300 3500 NotProvided
Axial Seamount, ASHES active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge JdF Ridge 45.9333 -130.0140 1540 1984 submersible Alvin
Ringvent active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge Gulf of California 27.5083 -111.6792 1740 2016 submersible Alvin; 2009 towed camera/CTD/bottles
Soria Moria active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge Mohns Ridge 71.2593 -5.8146 750 2005 ROV BIODEEP-05 cruise
Nereus Deep active, inferred mid-ocean ridge Red Sea 23.1670 37.2830 2400 1972 deposits only
MAR, 30.8 S active, inferred mid-ocean ridge S MAR -30.8327 -13.4690 2950 2013 plume only
ET active, inferred mid-ocean ridge JdF Ridge 48.1993 -128.9257 2500 NotProvided
MAR, 12 48'N inactive mid-ocean ridge N MAR 12.8000 -44.7883 2400 NotProvided
S-OH1 active, inferred mid-ocean ridge N MAR 34.5330 -36.8500 3000 1996 submersible Nautile did not find active vents; 2000 or earlier plume only
TAG active, confirmed mid-ocean ridge N MAR 26.1367 -44.8267 3670 1985 towed camera and temperature anomaly; 1986 submersible Alvin

Pages