Deepest Volcanic Vents Discovered

Volcanic vents believed to be the world's deepest undersea have been discovered in the Caribbean. The vents, known as black smokers, were located 5,000m (3.1 miles) down in the Cayman Trough, reports BBC News.

The volcanic chimneys, which spew out water hot enough to melt lead, were caught on film by a British-led team.

Marine biologist Dr Jon Copley said: "Seeing the world's deepest black-smoker vents looming out of the darkness was awe-inspiring. Super-heated water was gushing out of their two-storey-high mineral spires, more than three miles beneath the waves."

Expedition leader Doug Connelly, in turn, said "we hope our discovery will yield new insights into biogeochemically important elements in one of the most extreme naturally occurring environments on our planet."

The team, led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton, is sailing across the Caribbean and the Southern Ocean on the scientific research vessel the James Cook.

Previously, the deepest smokers were found in the Ashadze vent field in the mid-Atlantic Ridge at a depth of 4,040m. The discovery was made with the help of two deep-sea vehicles.