Tag: Hydrothermal

If alien life exists on Europa, we may find it in hydrothermal vents

Low-temperature hydrothermal vents could survive on the dark ocean floors of moons like Jupiter’s Europa for potentially billions of years, new computer simulations have shown, as astrobiologists strive to figure out whether these alien oceans could be habitable. Hydrothermal vents are both a source of chemical energy and heat, and are one of the possible […]

5 Hydrothermal Vents Have Appeared in the Dark Heart of the Ocean

A research mission uncovered five new hydrothermal vents in a highly volcanic region of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The vents spew fluids hotter than 570°F, and have appeared as a result of the East Pacific Rise tectonic plates continung to split apart. The use of both an undersea robot and a human-occupied submersible sped the […]