hydrothermal

[hahy-druh-thur-muhl]

adjective

Geology.

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

hydrothermal

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈθɜːməl /

adjective

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

hydrothermal

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.

Other Word Forms

• hydrothermally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrothermal¹

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

Example Sentences

The amphipod was discovered at a depth of 2,602 meters in a mussel bed within the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vent fields.

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Scientists began noticing a repeatable pattern in the rising temperature of hydrothermal vents at a volcano in the East Pacific and the timing of three eruptions in the same spot over the last three decades.

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Those vents are hydrothermal, meaning hot water pours out from cracks, and they often form near volcanoes.

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“Magma are extremely energetic. They are the heat source that power the hydrothermal systems that leads to geothermal energy. Why not go to the source?” asks Prof Lavallée.

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The full study, titled 'Zircon evidence for early hydrothermal activity on Mars', will be published in Science Advances.

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