Context: In a first, Indian oceanographers have captured the image of an active hydrothermal vent located 4,500 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean. This site holds potential for mineral exploration as part of the Rs 4,000-crore Deep Ocean Mission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Understanding Hydrothermal Vents

• Hydrothermal vents are underwater springs located in tectonically active regions.

• Cold seawater at the seabed (around 2°C) seeps through cracks in the ocean crust, interacting with molten magma.

• This process heats the water to temperatures of up to 370°C, which then emerges as mineral-rich plumes through vent chimneys.

• These vents are hotspots for minerals and unique biological ecosystems, supported by chemosynthetic organisms.

Significance

• The discovery of hydrothermal vents in the Southern Indian Ocean is significant for exploration from both economic and biological perspectives. 

• Economic significance: The deposits from hydrothermal venting are generally rich in copper, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, iron, cobalt, nickel and other economically-beneficial minerals and metals. This discovery could significantly enhance India’s Deep Ocean mission focusing on mineral exploration from inactive vents.

• Biological significance: The vents may contain living chemosynthetic organisms (underwater microbes rely on chemicals enriched with minerals and metals for their sustenance). The discovery could offer better insights into the organisms that inhabit environments supported by hydrothermal vents.

Efforts by NCPOR and NIOT

• Since 2012, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa has conducted geophysical surveys along the Central and Southern Ridges of the Indian Ocean.

• Collaborating with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), the team recently utilized an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) launched from the research vessel Sagar Nidhi.

• This high-resolution imaging captured a vent chimney, black smokers, and evidence of chemosynthetic life, marking a historic achievement in deep-sea exploration.

About Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

• DOM is a program to explore the deep ocean and develop technologies to use its resource.

• The mission, estimated at Rs. 4,077 crore over five years, will be implemented in phases. 

• The first phase (2021-2024) has an allocation of Rs. 2,823.4 crore.

• This mission-mode project supports India's Blue Economy initiatives, with MoES serving as the nodal ministry to coordinate this multi-institutional effort.

Goal

• To develop technologies to use the ocean's living and non-living resources, and to improve understanding of the ocean's role in climate change 

Components

• The mission has six main components, including:

• Manned submersible: A submersible to carry three people to depths of 6,000 meters, equipped with scientific tools and sensors 

• Ocean climate change advisory services: To develop models and observations to understand and predict climate variables 

• Deep-sea biodiversity: To study the flora and fauna of the deep sea, including microbes, and to develop ways to use the ocean's bio-resources sustainably 

• Deep ocean survey and exploration: To identify potential sites for multi-metal hydrothermal sulfide mineralization in the Indian Ocean 

• Energy and freshwater: To develop ways to use the ocean for energy and freshwater 

• Advanced marine station: To establish a station for ocean biology 

• Lead agencies: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Department of Space (DoS/ISRO), the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), and other organizations.

Implications for India’s Deep Ocean Mission

• The discovery strengthens India’s Deep Ocean Mission, particularly the Samudrayaan initiative focused on mineral exploration.

• Active hydrothermal vents are valuable sources of metals like copper, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, and cobalt.

• Further studies, including TV-guided sampling, aim to evaluate the economic and biological significance of these deposits.