Special: Hydrothermal vents map

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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.