Special: Hydrothermal vents map

link to information on the Carlsberg Ridge link to information on Ambitle Island link to information on Galapagos link to information on Mohns Ridge link to information on Eyjafjordur link to information on the Southern Mid-Altlantic Ridge

MORE TO EXPLORE

Still, much is uncertain as to how the geology of a region influences the temperature and minerals that precipitate at different vent sites. The Galapagos spreading ridge is one such example.


Read more in the Nature special on hydrothermal vents.

  • Galapagos

  • Name: The 'smoking iguanas', tall mineral chimneys that spew out black smoke, like the one seen here on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
  • Characteristics: A small forest of hydrothermal vent chimneys stretching up to 14 metres high.
  • Importance: The Galapagos smokers are a rare example of hydrothermal vents in a geological 'hotspot', where the oceanic crust was once thought to be too thick to permit the high-temperature vents of black smokers.