The bright search lights are turned on and you peer out into the murky water. As your submarine maneuvers around a rock formation, you see a smoking chimney of dark water rising from the ocean floor. In 1977, this imaginative journey came to life, as researchers aboard the deep-diving submarine Alvin discovered these mysterious chimneys, or vents and the incredible variety of life around them. Heated by underground volcanic activity, this water may reach a temperature of 570 degrees Fahrenheit inside the vent, but cools quickly when it mixes with the near-freezing water at the ocean floor. The area directly around these vents may stay at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Biologists are very curious about the life around deep-sea vents.
On earth, all life forms depend on energy from the sun to survive. The animals living near these underwater vents, however, seem to be an exception. This process is called chemosynthesis. Research also indicates that the vents are not permanent and may close up 50-100 years after they break open. Perhaps these questions will be answered as scientific explorations of the sea continue.