Hydrothermal vents and seamounts of the Azores

Beneath the Atlantic the formative processes continue to occur producing new land area such as the volcanic eruptions at Capelinhos or Serreta, but also through the venting of gases and pillow lavas, supporting a rich ecosystem.

[1] Seven large hydrothermal fields have been discovered within the waters of the Azores: These sites, with the exception of the Moytirra system, are located in the southern part of the archipelago, and have been investigated by national and international scientists.

The World Wildlife Fund recognizes these efforts, awarding the Azorean regional government with the honorific "Gift to the Earth" prize for their contribution to the preservation of these marine ecosystems.

The Azores also provide a good place to study deep-ocean hydrothermal vents; various investigative projects by many scientists have documented the relationship between divergent boundary zones and subaquatic ecosystems.

These hydrothermal environments are characterized by an elevated number of endemic and exclusive species; such as shrimp (like Rimicaris exoculata) or fish (such as Pachycara saldanhai), among others that exist in these areas.