The Axial Seamount Hydrothermal Emissions Study or ASHES vent field is a basalt-hosted hydrothermal vent field located on the side of Axial Seamount's caldera at approximately deep. The site is distinct from other hydrothermal ecosystems as a long-term study site of the Ocean Observatories Initiative's Regional Cable Array, one of the few hydrothermal systems with real-time data.
Human activity at ASHES is almost entirely scientific, with most impact coming from research expeditions, observatory maintenance, and ROV operations.
As with Axial Seamount, ASHES is located off the coast of Oregon and as such is classified as a location in the high seas and not a marine protected area.