[4] They are of geological interest as they occur in a relatively stable region of the Earth's crust with diminished tectonic forces and consequently fewer hydrothermal vents.

The field resides approximately 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) deep at the boundary of the Greenland and Norwegian Sea.

The high-latitude 2005 and 2008 expeditions were both led by geologist Rolf Pedersen of the university's Centre for Geobiology, aboard the research vessel G.O.

[2] A member of the 2008 expedition, oceanographer Marvin Lilley, has speculated that this may be the largest such deposit ever seen on the sea floor.

[3] The active chimneys are mostly black in colour but are covered with mats of white bacteria that are living on minerals and materials emitted by the vents.

The older chimneys are mottled red in colour due to the presence of deposits of oxidised iron.

[2] Small barite chimneys (height of <1 metre (3 ft 3 in)) are located east of the main field, where venting is less pronounced.

[12] The field is also associated with high concentrations of hydrocarbons, ammonium, and alkalinity while being depleted of dissolved iron and manganese.

[2] The bristleworm Nicomache lokii (Maldanidae) is thought to be a key species in the fauna surrounding the hydrothermal vents in the area.

These are primarily giant viruses of the Megaviricetes class in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota (NCLDV) in the area of Loki's Castle.