Cold seep

A cold seep (sometimes called a cold vent) is an area of the <a href="/facts/Ocean_floor/VvxuEWJu">ocean floor</a> where seepage of fluids rich in <a href="/facts/Hydrogen_sulfide/UbCqjMMk">hydrogen sulfide</a>, <a href="/facts/Methane/kBHneYnh">methane</a>, and other <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbons</a> occurs, often in the form of a <a href="/facts/Brine_pool/fYxBGcoQ">brine pool</a>. Cold does not mean that the temperature of the seepage is lower than that of the surrounding sea water; on the contrary, its temperature is often slightly higher. The "cold" is relative to the very warm (at least 60 °C or 140 °F) conditions of a <a href="/facts/Hydrothermal_vent/0xPqNUkY">hydrothermal vent</a>. Cold seeps constitute a <a href="/facts/Biome/cl4X36GB">biome</a> supporting several <a href="/facts/Endemism/xt4IpIsl">endemic</a> species.
Cold seeps develop unique <a href="/facts/Topography/SS8Bx4t9">topography</a> over time, where reactions between methane and seawater create <a href="/facts/Carbonate/FES1QHkN">carbonate</a> rock formations and <a href="/facts/Reef/eHTITdLb">reefs</a>. These reactions may also be dependent on bacterial activity. <a href="/facts/Ikaite/nTM8nUrX">Ikaite</a>, a <a href="/facts/Hydrate/dev82l69">hydrous</a> calcium carbonate, can be associated with oxidizing methane at cold seeps.

Cold seep open-in-new

Cold seep