Q: Is a hydrothermal vent a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues? ¶
A: Yes.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents rich in cobalt? ¶
A: Yes, and gold, copper, and rare earth metals essential for electronic components.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents a relatively recent event in the history of science? ¶
A: Yes, and the importance of this discovery has given rise to, and supported, new biological and bio-atmospheric theories.
Q: Were hydrothermal vents discovered along the Galápagos Rift? ¶
A: Yes, and a spur of the East Pacific Rise, in 1977 by a group of marine geologists funded by the National Science Foundation.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents less common? ¶
A: Yes.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents biologically more productive? ¶
A: Yes, and often hosting complex communities fueled by the chemicals dissolved in the vent fluids.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents commonly found near volcanically active places? ¶
A: Yes, and areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents believed to exist on Jupiter's moon Europa? ¶
A: Yes, and Saturn's moon Enceladus, and it is speculated that ancient hydrothermal vents once existed on Mars.
Q: Is a hydrothermal vent rich in dissolved minerals and supports a large population of chemoautotrophic bacteria? ¶
A: Yes.
Q: Are hydrothermal vents seen as major support for the theory of natural selection and of evolution as a whole? ¶
A: Yes.
Q: Is a hydrothermal vent Tevnia jerichonana? ¶
A: Yes, and Riftia pachyptila.