An advanced survey organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has revealed a massive hydrothermal system in the depths of the Pacific Ocean — a submarine structure surpassing the famed “Lost City” of the Atlantic.
Named the Kunlun Hydrothermal Field, this system spans 11.1 km² — more than 100 times larger than the Atlantic’s “Lost City.” It is located about 80 km west of the Mussau Trench, on the Caroline Plate.
The discovery was made through deep-sea surveys with the help of the Fendouzhe submersible. Results revealed 20 massive craters, some over 1 km in diameter and up to 130 meters deep. The hydrothermal waters maintained high hydrogen levels, between 5.9–6.8 mmol/kg, accounting for nearly 5% of the global flux of abiotic hydrogen.
“This shows that hydrogen synthesis through serpentinization can occur far from major mid-ocean ridges,” said Professor Weidong Sun from CAS. The water temperatures were below 40 °C — warm, but much cooler than most hydrothermal fields — a possible climate resembling the primitive conditions where life may have originated.
The system hosts unique deep-sea ecosystems with shrimp, squat lobsters, anemones, and tube worms, seemingly sustained by hydrogen-driven chemosynthesis.
This discovery not only expands knowledge of submarine processes and surface hydrogen resources but also offers a “natural laboratory” to study the origins of life and ecological potentials in the deep ocean.
