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
N-ELSC, plume 29 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -19.6000 -175.9750 2700 2004 plume only
Solwara 17 active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Manus Basin -3.0380 147.5280 535 2009 commercial ROV Fugro FV300; 2008 plumes with some sites subsequently observed with ROV
CLSC, CL_7 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -18.1333 -176.3667 2250 2009 plume only
Yoron Hole active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 27.4916 127.5333 590 2010 ROV Hyperdolphin
Higa active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 26.5550 126.2233 1485 2015 ROV Kaiko
North Knoll, Iheya Ridge active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 27.7908 126.8966 1100 1995 deep tow survey
MTJ, PAPATUA active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.3850 -174.6430 2170 1986 PAPATUA Expedition deposits only; 2008 plume only
SPOT, Yonaguni Knoll IV active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 24.8490 122.7000 1385 2000 submersibles Shinkai 2000 and Shinkai 6500
Central Spreading Ridge, Station 19 S active, inferred back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -19.0000 173.5000 3000 1991 submersible Shinkai 6500 did not confirm activity
western Manus Basin, Bismarck Sea inactive back-arc spreading center Manus Basin -3.0000 147.0000 1800 NotProvided
Mariana Trough, 18.2 N active, inferred back-arc spreading center Mariana Trough 18.1080 144.7380 3916 2015 plume only
Franklin Seamount active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Woodlark Basin -9.9083 151.8300 2366 1990 submersible Mir
C-ELSC, plume 17 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.9900 -176.2530 2270 2004 plume only
CLSC, CL_8 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -18.0500 -176.3333 2250 2009 plume only
Mussel Valley active, confirmed back-arc spreading center North Fiji Basin -18.8167 173.4833 2700 1989 submersible Nautile; 1987 plume; 1988 towed camera did not confirm activity
ABE active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.7619 -176.1910 2220 2004 AUV ABE; 2004 plume only on previous cruise
Temakons active, confirmed back-arc spreading center New Hebrides back-arc -17.5667 169.1000 1400 1994 towed camera with temperature
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
Solwara 18 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Manus Basin -3.0760 147.2390 1308 2008 plumes with some sites subsequently observed with ROV; 2009 commercial ROV Fugro FV300 (activity not confirmed)
C-ELSC, plume 19 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -20.8700 -176.2170 2230 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
NWLSC, Central Caldera active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.8000 -177.2666 2200 2008 plume and dredge only
Kueishan Island active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Okinawa Trough 24.8333 121.9500 30 1999, likely by SCUBA
Nifonea Ridge active, confirmed back-arc spreading center New Hebrides back-arc -18.1330 169.5170 1900 2001 towed video; 2013 ROV Kiel 6000 black smokers
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
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
Misiteli active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -22.4700 -176.7030 2050 2008 commercial ROV; 2003 plume only
Whale Island active, confirmed back-arc spreading center Taupo Volcanic Zone -37.8600 176.9800 42 1990 or earlier, likely by SCUBA
NELSC, T08C09 and T08C18 active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -15.4030 -174.2630 1800 2008 plume only
FRSC, Central active, inferred back-arc spreading center Lau Basin -16.4917 -174.5417 2419 2004 plume only

Pages

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

Powered by Drupal