Hydrothermal vents

Hydrothermal Vent © NOAA

A hydrothermal vent deep beneath the ocean’s surface © NOAA

Hydrothermal vents are cracks in the sea floor where water heated by volcanic activity is released. The first hydrothermal vents were discovered off the coast of Galapagos in 1979.

Hydrothermal vents features on these pages:

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Glossary of Galapagos