Chinese submersible explores previously unknown giant craters at the bottom of the Pacific -- and they're teeming with li [View all]

Chinese submersible explores previously unknown giant craters at the bottom of the Pacific — and they're teeming with life

By Patrick Pester published 3 days ago

Scientists have discovered and explored a giant hydrothermal system at the bottom of the Pacific, which could provide a window into the origins of life on Earth.



A GIF of marine life in the Kunlun system, taken from the Fendouzhe submersible.


Researchers documented a variety of life in the newly discovered system in the Pacific northeast of Papua New Guinea. (Image credit: Image by Prof. SUN Weidong, et al., 2025.)
Chinese researchers have discovered a giant, previously unknown hydrothermal system at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that could shed light on the origins of life.

The Kunlun system, northeast of Papua New Guinea, is made up of 20 large craters, the largest of which is around 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) wide and 430 feet (130 m) deep. These craters are clustered together in what the researchers called a "pipe swarm," and they release copious amounts of hydrogen, which may feed the life that thrives throughout the system.

Kunlun is similar to an Atlantic hydrothermal field known as the Lost City, which is located on the Atlantis Massif underwater mountain range. However, Kunlun has several features that make it unique, including its extraordinary size. Kunlun covers an area of about 4 square miles (11 square kilometers), making it hundreds of times larger than the Lost City, according to the study published Aug. 8 in the journal Science Advances.

The Kunlun system offers scientists a new window into deep-sea serpentinization, which is the process by which seawater chemically reacts with mantle rocks beneath the seafloor to create serpentine minerals (a group of minerals known for their greenish color) and release hydrogen.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/chinese-submersible-explores-previously-unknown-giant-craters-at-the-bottom-of-the-pacific-and-theyre-teeming-with-life