hydrothermal

American  

[hahy-druh-thur-muhl] / ˌhaɪ drəˈθɜr məl /

adjective

Geology.

1. noting or pertaining to the action of hot, aqueous solutions or gases within or on the surface of the earth.

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hydrothermal British  

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈθɜːməl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the action of water under conditions of high temperature, esp in forming rocks and minerals

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hydrothermal Scientific  

/ hī′drə-thûr′məl /

1. Relating to or produced by hot water, especially water heated underground by the Earth's internal heat.

2. ◆ Hydrothermal energy is power that is generated using the Earth's hot water.

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Other Word Forms

• hydrothermally
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of hydrothermal

First recorded in 1840–50; hydro- ¹ + thermal

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Explanation

The adjective hydrothermal is used to describe hot water, particularly water that's heated underground. If you visit Yellowstone, you'll probably see hydrothermal attractions like geysers and hot springs. Hydrothermal derives from Greek roots hydor, "water," and therme, "heat." It's been used by geologists since the 1850s to describe underground hot water. Hydrothermal activity occurs all over the planet, and it's especially common around active volcanoes. As well as steamy hot springs and dramatic geysers shooting hot water into the air, smaller mud pots and hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor are also evidence of water heating up beneath the earth's surface.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydrothermal

Instead, rising magma intrudes into Yellowstone’s shallow hydrothermal system, rapidly vaporising immense volumes of water.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

It would not simply have been freely available in ancient hydrothermal environments.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

One possible answer involves palladium, a metal that occurs naturally in hydrothermal vents and has been known to chemists as an effective catalyst for roughly a century.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

That parallel evolution may have been crucial because it could have allowed the two lineages to become less dependent on the chemistry of hydrothermal vents and eventually survive as independent cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Bischoff, Professor, on Nile and Rhine mud. —, on conversion of coal into anthracite. —, on hydrothermal action.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell

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