These are locations where two tectonic plates are diverging and new crust is being formed. Hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean typically form along the mid-ocean ridges, such as the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The dotted green line marks the melting point and the blue line the boiling point, showing how they vary with pressure the solid green line shows the typical melting point behavior for other substances. NOAA video on hydrothermal vents Physical properties In this phase diagram, the green dotted line illustrates the anomalous behavior of water. Hydrothermal vents have been hypothesized to have been a significant factor to starting abiogenesis and the survival of primitive life. Active hydrothermal vents are thought to exist on Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus, and it is speculated that ancient hydrothermal vents once existed on Mars. Chemosynthetic bacteria and Archaea form the base of the food chain, supporting diverse organisms, including giant tube worms, clams, limpets and shrimp. Relative to the majority of the deep sea, the areas around hydrothermal vents are biologically more productive, often hosting complex communities fueled by the chemicals dissolved in the vent fluids. Under the sea, they may form features called black smokers or white smokers. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both geologically active and has large amounts of water on its surface and within its crust.
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