black smoker

noun

: a vent in a geologically active region of the sea floor from which issues superheated water laden with minerals (such as sulfide precipitates)

also : a rock chimney covering such a vent

Examples of black smoker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ridge is covered with black smokers, tall and spindly hydrothermal vents that jut like chimneys and spout sulfurous, 300° C water from Earth's crust. —

IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2011 Heated by the magma, the water rushes upward to escape in the kind of shimmering veil Corliss noticed or in turbulent black smokers. —

Peter Radetsky, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 But the anecdotes swapped between swigs of Busch beer, puffs of cigar smoke and ribbons of fragrant apple wood emanating from a gleaming black smoker reveal the revelers are inextricably bound by a narrative considered sacred in these parts: barbecue. —

Kimberly Winter Stern, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 And getting so close to a black smoker was incredibly exciting. —

Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 7 June 2023 The top of a growing black smoker consists of calcium sulfate, or anhydrite. —

Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Landing on the bottom, Alvin crushed a small black smoker chimney called Bambi. —

Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 The top of a black smoker is like a fire hydrant with the top knocked off. —

Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 7 June 2023 This photo shows a three-foot-high black smoker in an area dubbed the Faulty Towers Complex. —

Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black smoker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.