InterRidge Vents Database: 721 Active Submarine Hydrothermal Vent Fields

InterRidge Vents Database Version 3.4 provides a global list of 721 submarine hydrothermal vent fields, with 666 confirmed or inferred as active. The dataset was compiled from open literature by Stace E. Beaulieu and completed on 25 March 2020. It includes positional, tectonic, and environmental attributes for vent fields, along with a companion map.

Use Cases

• Mapping global vent field distributions based on latitude, longitude, and depth data.
• Analyzing vent field characteristics by tectonic setting, region, and ocean basin.
• Studying the correlation between spreading rate and vent field activity at mid-ocean ridges.
• Investigating biological and temperature data trends across confirmed active vent fields.

Strengths

• Contains 721 vent fields with a specific count of 666 confirmed or inferred active fields.
• Includes a multi-attribute vocabulary with position, depth, tectonic setting, and temperature data.
• Version history is documented, showing an increase of 134 known active fields in a decade.

Limitations

• The database is explicitly noted as not comprehensive for inactive vent fields.
• Column-level documentation and sample data are unavailable, requiring inference after download.
• Last update date for the dataset file is unknown; freshness is unverified beyond the version completion date.

Provenance

Source

InterRidge program for international cooperation in ocean floor studies.

Collection Method

Derived principally from open literature.

Time Range

Covers discoveries up to the version date; specific temporal coverage is not detailed.

Freshness

Version completed on 25 March 2020; update frequency is unknown.

Geography

Global coverage of submarine hydrothermal vent fields across all oceans.