Five new active hydrothermal vents in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean have been spotted on the seafloor deep at 2,550 meters (8366 feet, or 1.6 miles). These vents are locations from which superheated water erupts through the seafloor.
Sentry, an autonomous underwater vehicle, and Alvin, a human-occupied submersible, collaborated to make this discovery. These two technologies accelerated the research process.
“By jointly operating these two cutting-edge deep-sea submersibles, we are able to make remarkable new discoveries about how seafloor in the deep oceans is constructed, in some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth,” said Ross Parnell-Turner, a co-lead scientist on the expedition.
The team, led by Jill McDermott of Lehigh University, discovered these vents on the East Pacific Rise, a highly volcanic area of the eastern Pacific Ocean about 10° North latitude. The vents have been emitting fluids exceeding 300°C (570°F).
High volcanic region
These vents formed due to the ongoing separation of tectonic plates on the East Pacific Rise, which lies in the vast mid-ocean ridge volcanic mountain chain.
In this section, the two tectonic plates have been splitting roughly 11 centimeters (4.3 inches) per year.
“The mid-ocean ridge accounts for more than 75% of all volcanic activity on our planet,” said Thibaut Barreyre, a co-lead scientist on the expedition from CNRS, Univ Brest, France.
“It is dotted with thousands of deep-sea hot springs like these, which all together extract 10% of the Earth’s total internal heat,” added Barreyre, who is an expert in thermal measurements and modeling of hydrothermal vents.
“We want to increase our understanding of how hydrothermal vents release heat and chemicals as they flow through the seafloor and affect the global ocean.”
The researchers first sent Sentry to create high-resolution maps with its sensors during the night. The robot’s maps were examined to chalk out the human trip to the location during the day. This process allowed them to collect firsthand data.
“The high-resolution maps from Sentry allow us to spot likely new hydrothermal fields soon after Sentry comes back on deck. This gives us great targets for Alvin and the opportunity to make multiple discoveries in a single dive,” said McDermott in the press release.
Finding life beyond Earth
The chemical-rich vents are known to support life around them even in the darkest and deepest locations of the sea floor.
Studying these Earth-based vents may provide valuable insights into the conditions that may support beyond Earth. Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, is believed to harbor hydrothermal vents beneath its icy surface.
Moreover, understanding hydrothermal vents helps scientists grasp the geophysical, chemical, and biological processes shaping our planet.
The study team aims to further explore this hydrothermal activity and volcanism along the East Pacific Rise in a follow-up mission that will also include Sentry and Alvin.
Alvin has been instrumental in the discovery of several hydrothermal vents since 1977. It started with investigating an oceanic spreading ridge north of the Galapagos Islands.
