Special: Hydrothermal vents map
SHALLOW-WATER WONDERS
In Iceland, researchers discovered in 2004 a rich shallow-water vent ecosystem. "The area contains not a single vent, but a series of chimneys and fissures stretching for about 500 metres," says geologist Bjarni Gautason, who works for the company Iceland GeoSurvey.
Read more in the Nature special on hydrothermal vents.
Eyjafjörður
- Name: Arnarnesstrýtur, in an Icelandic fjord called Eyjafjörður
- Characteristics: Tall chimneys as shallow as 14 metres from the surface, accompanied by schools of cod, haddock and lumpsuckers.
- Importance: Shallow enough for researchers to scuba dive to, these vent systems are very different chemically and biologically from their deeper-water cousins.