Two Rare Hydrothermal Vent Fields Discovered in the Doldrums Fracture Zone

Scientists on a 35-day research expedition onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's RV Falkor (too) discovered two new hydrothermal vent fields in a region of the middle of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Doldrums Megatransform and Fracture Zone, which lies just north of the equator about 800 miles off the northeast coast of Brazil. This large, tectonically active system cuts across the world's longest mountain chain, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. While many hydrothermal vents have been found along the ridge, these are the first known vent fields to be discovered in and around the Doldrums system.