Developments in Brief : Atlantic Geysers Are Blowing Off Steam

Hot undersea geysers, once thought to exist only in the Pacific, have recently been found in the Atlantic, a discovery that suggests such vents may be much more prevalent than believed.

Researchers this month plan to dive more than two miles deep to study the underwater vents about 1,800 miles east of Miami along a submerged mountain range where material is welling up from inside the Earth to create new sea floor at the rate of about an inch a year. The expedition will give scientists their first close look at the Atlantic geysers, which were detected last year.

“It’s not just that these things are spectacular. They concentrate critical mineral deposits on the sea floor, copper, zinc, and possibly silver and gold; as well as having a very important chemical impact on the composition of the oceans,” said Peter Rona, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Miami. In addition to minerals, shrimp, clams and worms live near the vents. The studies will be conducted in dives in the research submarine Alvin.