Two newly identified hydrothermal vent fields mark the first known vents in the Doldrums Megatransform and Fracture Zone, a remote Mid-Atlantic region about 800 miles off Brazil.
One field spans about 24 acres and contains 23 vents, including 13 active black smokers releasing fluids measured at 280°C from a deep-sea ecosystem explored by ROV SuBastian.
The vents host anemones, crabs and thousands of blind Rimicaris shrimp, with scientists saying both sites likely involve serpentinization—a rare rock-seawater reaction that fuels life without sunlight.
The month-long expedition also filmed Winteria telescope, a barreleye fish never before recorded on camera, and spotted bigfin squid, underscoring how little of the Atlantic deep sea has been directly observed.
Researchers said the find suggests even long-studied plate boundaries can still yield major discoveries, with the hybrid vent systems potentially informing the search for life beyond Earth.