Galapagos 2005 Expedition. Hydrothermal vent fluids contain much dissolved chemical material that flows out of the vent, rapidly cools and reacts with the surrounding seawater, and then precipitates out minerals that form sediments on the surrounding seafloor.

Image ID: expl1242, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect
Credit: UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

• High Resolution Photo Available