Drilling reveals deep hot water source for Lost City vents beneath Atlantic

Scientists drilling 1,268 meters beneath the Atlantic seafloor obtained the first direct evidence of deep, hot water circulation, explaining the volcano-free Lost City hydrothermal vents. In 2023, researchers aboard the JOIDES Resolution drilled 800 meters north of the vents. Water sampled from deep layers was magnesium-poor and calcium-rich, matching Lost City's emissions. This indicates serpentinization, a seawater-mantle-rock reaction producing heat, hydrogen, and methane that sustains vent ecosystems without sunlight. Discovered in 2000, Lost City vents puzzled scientists because no volcano lies nearby. Authors caution seawater contamination cannot be excluded, so a fully connected underground path remains unproven, though direct samples strengthen the hypothesis.