Many miles inside the Arctic Circle, scientists have found elusive
vents of scalding liquid rising out of the seafloor at temperatures
that are more than twice the boiling point of water.

The cluster of five hydrothermal vents, also called black smokers, were
discovered farther north than any others previously identified.
The vents, one of which towers four stories high, are located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland
and Norway, more than 120 miles farther north than other known vents.

Remotely operated vehicles photographed the scene as part of an expedition led by Rolf Pedersen, a geologist at the University of Bergen in Norway.

Black smokers have been found in many deep-sea locations, including on the Juan de Fuca Ridge off Washington and British Columbia. Despite the lack of sunlight to power life in the abyss, the vents often support unique communities of creatures that live off their warmth and chemicals. Some scientists think the vents would have been great locales for the origin of life on Earth.