Description: https://vents-data.interridge.org/about_the_database#MetadataDatabase contentsEach Vent Field contains the following attributes (“columns” in the exported CSV file). If there is no value reported for an attribute, then it is not currently specified in the database.Name of vent fieldThe Name ID uniquely identifies a vent field. We distinguish vent field (assemblage of vent sites) from vent site (e.g., Tica vent at EPR, 9 50'N vent field).Name alias(es) for vent fieldOther Names used in the literature for the same vent field.Feature ID in MGDSThe Name ID is associated with controlled vocabularies for Feature_ID VentField in MGDS (http://www.marine-geo.org/tools/web_services.php).Name(s) of individual vent sitesNames of individual vent sites contained within the vent field. Aliases for vent site names are given in parentheses with an equals sign, such as “Solwara 4e (= Fenway).” These may be associated with controlled vocabularies for Feature_ID Vent in MGDS.ActivityHydrothermal activity is categorized as: confirmed active, inferred active, or inactive. We consider the activity confirmed when indicated by visual observations at the sea floor (i.e., ground-truthing) that may or may not also include temperature measurements.Maximum TemperatureMaximum Temperature CategoryMaximum temperature (degrees C) is provided for confirmed active vent fields; the “cell” is blank if inferred active and “NotApplicable” if inactive. For those confirmed active vent fields in which a maximum temperature is NotProvided, a category is assigned as High if chimneys and/or black smokers were observed or Low if only diffuse venting was observed. Again, the “cell” is blank if inferred active and “NotApplicable” if inactive.LatitudeLongitudePositions are provided in decimal degrees to four decimal places. Negative values for latitude are degrees S, and negative values for longitude are degrees W.Location on mapThe position for each vent field is displayed individually in a Google map (using Geofield module).OceanThe 8 ocean categories conform with the InterRidge Cruise Database: Arctic, Indian, Mediterranean, N. Atlantic, N. Pacific, S. Atlantic, S. Pacific, Southern. Following the standards of the International Hydrographic Organization, the Arctic Ocean includes the mid-ocean ridge north of Iceland, and the Southern Ocean is defined as south of latitude 60 S.RegionRegion generally indicates the regional setting of the vent field along the world plate boundaries. Exceptions include vent fields at intra-plate volcanoes and coastal faults. The Region tends to form part of the hierarchical vocabulary for each vent field Name Feature_ID VentField in MGDS.National JurisdictionNational Jurisdiction within exclusive economic zones (EEZs) was determined by querying the VLIZ Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase (http://www.marineregions.org/eezsearch.php) using the latitude and longitude for each vent field. Positions outside of EEZs are reported as high seas; note that these are seafloor positions thus they may lie either in The Area (the seafloor beyond the limits of national jurisdiction) or on extended continental shelves.Maximum or Single Reported DepthMinimum DepthDepth (m below sea level) is given for hydrothermal activity and/or deposits. Either a range (deepest-shallowest) or single reported depth is provided.Tectonic Setting CategoryEach vent field was assigned to 1 of 5 tectonic setting categories: arc volcano, back-arc spreading center, intra-plate volcano, mid-ocean ridge, or other.Full Spreading RateFor each vent field categorized as mid-ocean ridge or back-arc spreading center, the full spreading rate velocity (mm/a) was derived from Bird (2003), accessed via GeoMapApp, with the exception of literature values for New Hebrides, Tyrrhenian, and Izu-Bonin back-arc regions.Volcano NumberSome vent fields are sub-features of volcanic features identified with a permanent unique identifier (Volcano Number, or VNum) in the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP) Volcanoes of the World (VOTW) database maintained by GVP and accessible at www.volcano.si.edu.Host RockHost rock is from a spreadsheet provided by S. Petersen in 2009, otherwise categorized as basalt-hosted, sediment-hosted, ultramafic-hosted, or NotProvided. Host rock is not comprehensively vetted for all vent fields.Deposit TypeDeposit type is listed from Version 1 or from a spreadsheet provided by M. Hannington in 2009, otherwise NotProvided. Abbreviations include: polymetallic massive sulfide deposits (PMS), low-temperature hydrothermal vents and associated mineral deposits (LTH), near-field metalliferous sediments (NFS), distal metalliferous sediments (DIS), and vein and breccia deposits (VSD). Deposit type is not comprehensively vetted for all vent fields.Notes on Vent Field descriptionNotes describing the vent field are generally quoted directly from the literature. However, some of the site descriptions remain from Version 1 and may be similar to the “Description” in the ISA Database. This “column” in the database also contains notes relevant to other “columns,” for example, providing more information on the regional or tectonic setting.Notes relevant to biologyNotes on biology are generally quoted directly from the literature. However, some of these notes remain from Version 1.Year and how discoveredFor the year and means by which discovered, visual confirmation at the sea floor is listed first, unless otherwise noted. Other information related to the discovery is listed in chronological order.References for discoveryOther citationsReferences in brackets “[ ]” were not consulted in full by the InterRidge Coordinator in 2009 (Beaulieu).RDF link A direct link is provided to the *.rdf depiction of each vent field "node" in the Drupal database.An abbreviated history of the databaseThe original motivation for the database came from the WG on Global Distribution of Hydrothermal Activity, active from 1997-2002. Version 1 of the database was largely derived from M. Hannington’s compilation of the worldwide distribution of seafloor polymetallic sulfide deposits produced for the Geological Survey of Canada in 1994 with a supplement for shallow hydrothermal systems in 1999. Version 1 was posted online by the InterRidge Japan office (2000-2003) and transferred to the Germany office (2004-2006). In parallel, during the decade 2000-2009, M. Hannington updated and enhanced the database for seafloor hydrothermal deposits, published in 2002 for the Central Data Repository of the International Seabed Authority (hereafter referred to as the “ISA Database”). The ISA Database was revised in 2004 and in 2009. Also in parallel, E. Baker maintained a list of locations at which hydrothermal plumes were detected in systematic, water-column surveys for hydrothermal activity, and S. Petersen maintained another list that included vent field maximum temperature and host rock.
Copyright Text: The InterRidge Vents Database is supported by the InterRidge program for international cooperation in ridge-crest studies (http://www.interridge.org). For the revision to Version 2.0, we greatly appreciate access to global lists of vent fields from E. Baker, M. Hannington, and S. Petersen. V. Ferrini helped match vocabulary to the MGDS Feature IDs. A. Maffei and J. Dusenberry aided the upload into Drupal 6. D. Perry and M. Suominen aided the transfer to NOCS. For the revision to Version 2.1, we also thank E. Baker, P. Dando, and C. De Ronde. For revisions to Ver. 2.3, 3.0, and 3.1, S. Beaulieu was supported by NSF award #1202977 and a WHOI Technical Staff Award. We thank A. Maffei and A. Shepherd for the migration to Drupal 7. For revisions to Ver. 3.2 and 3.3, S. Beaulieu was supported by NSF award #1202977. We thank X. Zhang and Z. Ge for maintaining the Drupal 7 site at Peking Univ. For the launch of Ver. 3.4 we thank Y. Choi at IPGP.