Black smoker vent. Artwork of a hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor with life forms around it. Commonly known as a 'black smokers', hydrothermal vents typically pour out a sulphurous mineral-rich fluid which can be at a temperature of hundreds of degrees celsius. Some of these dissolved minerals precipitate to form a mound or chimney around the vent. The vents are linked to volcanic activity & the movement of rock plates in Earth's crust. The vents' fluid was heated by geothermal energy in the crust. Deep sea vents provide a habitat for some forms of bacteria which feed on sulphur compounds in the fluid. These bacteria provide food for worms, molluscs, crustaceans and fish.

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