"Hydrothermal vents are among the strangest features of the deep ocean and their existence was not known until the 1970s. One set of vents, known as Beebe, was established as the deepest on record - until the discovery last night of another slightly deeper set nearby, at 4,968m. or about three miles.

The water being blasted from the newly-found vents was measured at 401C, making this set among the hottest on the planet."