![]() Upflow ZoneThe vent fluid becomes more buoyant in the reaction zone and races back toward the surface. Chemistry and vent outflow are also influenced by the vent fluid’s residence time, or the time it spends in the region close to the heat source. The closer magma wells to the fluid, the warmer the fluid becomes and the quicker its chemical reaction time will be. Reaction ZoneThe acidic vent fluid continues to heat up as it flows and seeps toward the vent’s source of heat. As an acid, the vent fluid leeches more metals from surrounding rocks of the oceanic crust. At this point, seawater changes to an acidic vent fluid. As the seawater is warmed by its proximity to magma, it is stripped of its magnesium. Recharge Zone Vent fluid in the recharge zone is formed by seawater seeping into cracks in the seafloor. Going with the Flow The process that creates ocean vents takes place in three zones: the recharge zone, the reaction zone, and the upflow zone. Trench rollback causes the overriding plate to be stretched thin, creating conditions that allow for the formation of ocean vents. This area is called a “back-arc basin.” Back-arc basins are formed as the ocean trench created by subduction migrates “backward” toward the subducting plate in a process called trench rollback. ![]() Ocean vents found around volcanic arcs are located on the overriding (less-dense) tectonic plate. Volcanic arcs may include volcanoes that rise above sea level, such as Japan’s Ryuku Islands, while some volcanic arcs are seamounts, or underwater mountains. Oceanic crust is being destroyed in the subduct ion zones around volcanic arcs. Volcanic arcs form at convergent plate boundaries, where a dense tectonic plate is falling beneath a less-dense plate in a process called subduction. Ocean vents dot the entire underwater mountain range. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for instance, runs through the entire Atlantic Ocean, separating the North American and Eurasian plates in the north and the South American and African plates in the south. New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges. Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries, where tectonic plates are moving apart from each other. Ocean vents are primarily found around mid-ocean ridges and volcanic arcs. At both mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins, the molten magma of Earth's asthenosphere wells up close to the surface. Ocean vents are found in all ocean basins, although they are most abundant around the Pacific Ocean’s “ Ring of Fire,” which also includes active earthquake zones, volcanoes, and ocean trenches. Tectonic activity describes the way tectonic plates, giant slabs of Earth’s lithosphere, interact with each other. Tectonic Activity Ocean vents are the product of tectonic activity beneath the ocean floor. As their name indicates, all hydrothermal vents are characterized by water ( hydro-) and extremely high temperatures (thermal). Other types of hydrothermal vents include hot springs, geysers, and fumaroles. Ocean vents are a type of hydrothermal vent. They often mark sites of tectonic activity, and create some of the most hostile habitats on Earth. Ocean vents eject hot, often toxic, fluids and gases into the surrounding seawater. Scientists also hope the microbes can facilitate the development of novel medical treatments as other pools in the Red Sea contain bioactive molecules with potential antibacterial and anticancer properties.An ocean vent sits over a deep fissure in the ocean floor. Scientists will decipher these with other faults and fractures in the sea bed to better understand the tectonic history of the region and what infrastructure changes could be prudent for the future. The extreme conditions of brine pools preserve vital information about climatic changes from millennia ago, like ancient tsunamis, flash floods and earthquakes. "Deep-sea brine pools are a great analog for the early Earth … Studying this community hence allows a glimpse into the sort of conditions where life first appeared on our planet, and might guide the search for life on other 'water worlds' in our solar system and beyond." "Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic-without oxygen-conditions," UM Department of Marine Geosciences chair and study lead Sam Purkis told Live Science.
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