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Consider the black smoker. Born of molten rock, these undersea vents are like geysers in the ocean floor, spewing mineral-rich waters that nurture exotic life forms and entire ecosystems. Black smokers are a species of hydrothermal vent. It looks black because of a preponderance of iron sulfide in the soup of chemicals and superheated water that gushes into the sea from holes in the ocean floor. Found in all the oceans of the world, hydrothermal vents have been around for billions of years, but have been known to science for less than 25 years. They exist at depths of 2,225 meters in areas of intense geological activity, where the sea floor is expanding and near active volcanoes. If you'd like to further consider the black smoker -- and other undersea oddities -- you can take a virtual journey to the bottom of the sea.

Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Undersea Research Program.


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			A Black Smoker Venting Consider the black smoker. Born of molten rock, these undersea vents are like geysers in the ocean floor, spewing mineral-rich waters that nurture exotic life forms and entire ecosystems. Black smokers are a species of hydrothermal vent. It looks black because of a preponderance of iron sulfide in the soup of chemicals and superheated water that gushes into the sea from holes in the ocean floor. Found in all the oceans of the world, hydrothermal vents have been around for billions of years, but have been known to science for less than 25 years. They exist at depths of 2,225 meters in areas of intense geological activity, where the sea floor is expanding and near active volcanoes. If you'd like to further consider the black smoker -- and other undersea oddities -- you can take a virtual journey to the bottom of the sea. Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Undersea Research Program.