hydrothermal vent

A hydrothermal vent is an opening on the deep ocean floor where heated water flows out of the ground.

The water is heated beneath the seafloor and often carries dissolved minerals. Organisms living around some vents get energy from chemical reactions rather than sunlight, which makes these places relevant to questions about whether life could exist elsewhere. A black smoker is one particular kind of hydrothermal vent.

• We discussed whether a hydrothermal vent could support life on an icy moon.
• Researchers found microbes living near a hydrothermal vent without sunlight.
• Could a hydrothermal vent provide clues about how life began on Earth?