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News and Views
Nature 415, 124-125 (10 January 2002) | doi:10.1038/415124a
Oceanography: Bubbling under
Chris German
Abstract
The study of hydrothermal vents is a young and fertile discipline. The latest findings, and the enticing prospects offered by new technology, came in for discussion at two meetings held late last year.
Deep-sea hydrothermal activity was discovered only in 1977, on the sea floor near the Galapagos Islands, so it is little wonder that the phenomenon continues to spring surprises. Hydrothermal vents arise where cold sea water interacts with freshly formed, hot ocean crust along chains of submarine volcanoes, termed mid-ocean ridges, which run for more than 50,000 km across the world's ocean basins.
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