New Insights in Submarine Hydrothermal Vents Exploration

Dear Colleagues,

Seafloor hydrothermal vents are arguably the most intriguing and fascinating geological features investigated by scientists studying the deep oceans over the last four decades, an endeavour ongoing since the pioneering discovery of submarine hot springs in Galapagos and Pacific Rise. Hydrothermal vents represent extreme environments and play an important role in matter and energy exchange between the lithosphere and the hydrosphere, influencing seabed ecosystems and greenhouse gas concentrations. Thus, their understanding has important implications from biological, geological, and volcanological perspectives and may provide important insights into metallogenic processes. Submarine hydrothermal vents are commonly enriched in dissolved metals (e.g., Cu, Zn and Pb, but also Au and Ag), making them very promising explorative targets for economical purpose. When compared to hydrothermal systems located on land, the investigation of submarine environment suffers from a lack of information because of the difficulties in exploring the deep ocean. The recent development of high-performance technologies, focalized to remote and autonomous marine prospection, can also push forward the investigation of submarine hydrothermal vents at inaccessible depths. In this Special Issue, we intend to collect new research studies dealing with the investigation of submarine hydrothermal vents and integrate multidisciplinary data coming from different methodologies, such as (but not limited to): geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography, morphology and the study of rock petrology and metallogenic processes. Reports on new explorations, reviews and significant case studies, covering hydrothermal processes in different geodynamic environments, are welcomed. We also encourage studies of hydrothermal systems by using innovative techniques such as autonomous underwater vehicles, ROVs, submarine observatories and unconventional platforms.

Dr. Luca Cocchi
Dr. Francesco Italiano
Dr. Eleonora Martorelli
Guest Editors

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• shallow and deep-water hydrothermal systems
• submarine volcanism in back arc basins and spreading ridges
• autonomous observatories and underwater vehicles
• hydrothermal deposits and geothermal resources
• geophysical modelling
• fluid and rock geochemistry
• underwater acoustics
• detection of seabed and water column fluid emissions