Figure 10.31
Hydrothermal vents. (A) Hydrothermal vents occur in all five ocean basins. As mineral-rich water escapes from the seafloor, the minerals precipitate out, forming chimneys called black smokers. (B) This hydrothermal vent was photographed at a depth of 2,250 m (7,500 ft) near Vancouver, Canada, on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. More than 600 new animal species have been discovered at hydrothermal vents, including the deep-sea tube worms (Riftia pachyptila) seen here.(B. © Verena Tunnicliffe, University of Victoria)