Hydrothermal vent on the Kawio Barat submarine volcano release hot, chemical laden water into the ocean at a depth of over a mile. Kawio Barat is a massive undersea volcano off Indonesia. White smokers such as this are seabed volcanic vents where minerals dissolve in water superheated by magma (molten rock). The light-coloured minerals precipitate out on contact with the cold surrounding water, producing pale 'smoke'. The minerals form crusts or mats around the vents over time. White smokers tend have lower-temperature smoke plumes than black smokers.