Hydrothermal Vents Research Paper

There are many different aspects in the world of geology. Something that I want to focus on are hydrothermal vents. Hydrothermal vents are like chimney shaped hot springs that are located on the ocean floor. Hydrothermal vents were first discovered in 1977 near the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific. Scientists exploring the area along the mid-oceanic ridge had noticed drastic temperature changes in their data. With the help of ALVIN, a research deep sea submersible, they discovered vents that were pouring out hot fluids from beneath the ocean floor (Hydrothermal Vents).
Hydrothermal vents are fissures in the earth’s surface from which geothermally heated water rises. They are normally found near volcanically active areas, usually in clusters above the given body of magma. As learned in class, we know that in places where plate boundaries are moving apart, molten magma rises and erupts to form new oceanic crust. (Harden 7). This new crust forms volcanic mountain ranges known as mid-oceanic ridges. Mid oceanic ridges form in the very deeps of the ocean causing the water temperatures to be very cold. Because of this hydrothermal vents are found in areas where seawater meets hot magma.
Hydrothermal vents form when seawater goes down through the cracks in the …show more content…
The scientists that discovered the vents also found that they were surrounded by many organisms that they had never encountered before. Because of the depth that vents are found in, they are in complete darkness. In a process called chemosynthesis, microbes at the base of the food chain convert minerals from the fluids of the vents into usable energy. It is believed that organisms thrive because the water that comes out these vents is rich in minerals. Because of this is how they can survive without the sun. Some of these types of organisms include limpets, shrimp, crabs, tube worms and various type of