Hydrothermal vents: More detail on how they are formed. These vents are also known as Black Smokers, undersea hydrothermal vents which contain a mixture of ground water and water that has previously disolved in magma. The water emmited by these vents can be as hot as 400C. The minerals and bacteria found in this water support life in rather extream conditions. They are known to occur in places from from 30 meters to 3,600 meters. Some feel this offers hope of finding life on other planets as there is speculation there are, or where vents on Mars and Jupiter's Europa(bottom of page). Eye Candy: [1][2][3]
posted by edgeways on Sep 20, 2006 - 12 comments