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

HEADING SOUTH

As some researchers push north, others are going south � finding hydrothermal vents on the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is the underwater mountain range that runs like a backbone down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.


Read more in the Nature special on hydrothermal vents.

  • Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

  • Name: Turtle Pits, Red Lion, Wideawake and Liliput
  • Characteristics: Boiling fluids spewing out of the vents, of temperatures approaching 400 degrees Celsius.
  • Importance: The vents are the southernmost and hottest ever found along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and give marine scientists an unprecedented look at how creatures living at the vents cope with high-temperature eruptions.