Hydrothermal circulation is the circulation of hot water underneath the earth. Hydrothermal circulation occurs most often in the vicinity of sources of heat within the Earth's crust. It usually occurs near volcanic activity, but can occur in the deep crust related to the intrusion of granite, or as the result of orogeny or metamorphism. The word "hydrothermal" derives from Greek: "Hydros" means water and "thermos" means heat.
Hydrothermal circulation in the oceans is the passage of the water through mid-oceanic ridge systems. The term includes both the circulation of the well known, high temperature vent waters near the ridge crests, and the much lower temperature, diffuse flow of water through sediments and buried basalts further from the ridge crests.
Hydrothermal circulation is not limited to ocean ridge environments. The source water for geysers and hot springs is heated groundwater convecting below and lateral to the hot water vent. Hydrothermal circulating convection cells exist any place an anomalous source of heat, such as an intruding magma or volcanic vent, comes into contact with the groundwater system.
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