What is the name of the deepest known hydrothermal vent field, located in the Cayman Trough?

The Beebe Vent Field is the deepest known hydrothermal vent field, lying in the Cayman Trough south of Grand Cayman. It is also called the Piccard Vent Field in some scientific publications.

The field sits on the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre at nearly 5,000 metres below sea level, in the abyssopelagic zone. Hydrothermal vents form where seawater circulates through hot oceanic crust, becomes chemically enriched, and re-emerges through cracks in the seafloor. At Beebe, some vent fluids exceed 400°C and produce dark, metal-rich “black smoker” chimneys.

Scientists first detected unusual hydrothermal plumes in 2009. A British expedition using the research vessel RRS James Cook visually confirmed the field in 2010 at about 4,960 metres depth. The site was named for American naturalist William Beebe, while the alternative Piccard name honors oceanographer Jacques Piccard.

TAG, Lucky Strike, and Lost City are genuine hydrothermal sites, but they are shallower and are not the deepest known field.