thermal vent

American  

noun

thermal vents plural

1. Geology, Oceanography. an opening in the Earth, especially on the floor of the sea, from which hot, mineral-rich solutions are released.

---

thermal vent Scientific  

1. An opening in the Earth, especially on the ocean floor, that emits hot water and dissolved minerals.

2. See more at hydrothermal vent

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thermal vents
  plural