hydrothermal vent
an opening on the floor of the sea from which hot, mineral-rich solutions issue.: Compare vent1 (def. 2).
Words Nearby hydrothermal vent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hydrothermal vent in a sentence
It will also carry a vast array of sensors that will allow it to detect the chemical signatures of hydrothermal vents or low-temperature seeps.
These new robots will plunge into the ocean’s most alien depths | Erik Olsen | November 3, 2021 | Popular-ScienceEarth’s hot springs and hydrothermal vents are home to a previously unidentified group of archaea.
These climate-friendly microbes recycle carbon without producing methane | Carolyn Gramling | May 6, 2021 | Science News
Scientific definitions for hydrothermal vent
A fissure on the floor of a sea out of which flows water that has been heated by underlying magma. The water can be as hot as 400°C (752°F) and usually contains dissolved minerals that precipitate out of it upon contact with the colder seawater, building a stack of minerals, or chimney. Hydrothermal vents form an ecosystem for microbes and animals, such as tubeworms, giant clams, and blind shrimp, that can withstand the hostile environment.♦ The hottest hydrothermal vents are called black smokers because they spew iron and sulfide which combine to form iron monosulfide, a black compound.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse