Hydrothermal vent chimneys black smokers

In the 1970s black smokers (Fig. 2.2) were detected. These are chimney-like structures above hydrothermal vents. In these smoker chimneys sulfides of iron, copper and zinc are found. At the mixture of the hot mineral rich water with cold water, these sulfides are precipitated and the vent water therefore appears black in color. The most striking discovery was that these warm chemical rich environments are the living space for many species. Huber and Wachtershauser, 1998 [166], modelled volcanic or hydrothermal settings. They showed that amino acids were converted into their peptides by use of precipitated (Ni, Fe)S and CO in conjunction with H2S (or CH3SH) as a catalyst and condensation agent at 100°C and pH 7 to 10 under anaerobic, aqueous conditions. Thus a thermophilic origin of life seems plausible. 

At typical black smoker vents, a very large proportion (at least 90%) of the metals and sulfur carried in solution are lost to a hydrothermal plume in the overlying water column rather than deposited as chimneys. The metals are precipitated as sulfide particles in the plume above the black smokers and are rapidly oxidized and dispersed over distances of several kilometers from the vent (Feely et al. 1987, 1994a,b Mottl and McConachy 1990). Due to oxidation and dissolu-... 

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