Hydrothermal Formation” width=”642″ height=”685″ class=”size-medium wp-image-172055″ srcset=”https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-642×685.jpg 642w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-389×415.jpg 389w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-768×820.jpg 768w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-1439×1536.jpg 1439w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-1918×2048.jpg 1918w, https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/08/sciadv.adx3202-f3-600×641.jpg 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px” loading=”lazy”/>August 30, 2025 – A newly discovered hydrothermal vent field, named Kunlun, is challenging established understandings of deep-sea ecosystems and potential energy resources. Located in the Carolina Plate, the system is producing exceptionally high levels of hydrogen and supporting a thriving community of life far from the typical zones of tectonic activity.
The finding, published August 30, 2025, in Science Advances, has notable implications for both marine biology and the search for enduring energy sources. scientists previously believed that hydrogen-rich vents were largely confined to areas near spreading tectonic plates. Kunlun’s location, 80 kilometers west of a trench, demonstrates that ample hydrogen generation can occur in unexpected geological settings. This revelation opens the possibility that similar, previously undetected systems may exist across the ocean floor, perhaps altering estimates of global hydrogen availability and the distribution of deep-sea life.
Researchers identified the Kunlun system through analysis of hydrothermal activity and its associated biological communities. The process driving the hydrogen production is believed to be serpentinization, a geochemical reaction between seawater and ultramafic rocks. This reaction occurs when water interacts with rocks rich in magnesium and iron, creating hydrogen gas. The scale of the Kunlun system and the intensity of the hydrogen flux are particularly noteworthy.
“The Kunlun system is unique not just as of the exceptionally high hydrogen flux we observed, but also because of its scale and geological setting,” says Sun, a researcher involved in the study, in a statement published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “It demonstrates that serpentinization-driven hydrogen generation can occur far from mid-ocean ridges, challenging previous assumptions.”
The abundance of hydrogen at Kunlun also suggests the site could be a viable location for harvesting this clean energy source. Deep-sea hydrogen has been proposed as a potential fuel option, and the concentrated levels found at Kunlun could make extraction economically feasible. Further research will be needed to assess the long-term sustainability of hydrogen harvesting from this habitat.
The study, led by Li and Zhang et al., was published in Science Advances.
