Scientists identified three cone-shaped sulphide mounds in a hydrothermal field with vents at depths ranging from 700 to 1,500 metres. Fluids emitted from the hydrothermal vents reach temperatures above 315 degrees Celsius. Ore samples from the location showed maximum gold concentrations of up to 15.4 grams per tonne and peak silver concentrations reaching 1.27 kilograms per tonne. Song Shiji, vice-dean of the Institute for Ocean Engineering at Tsinghua University and a lead scientist on the mission, described the deposit as having "extremely high exploitation value."

The findings resulted from an 18-day voyage by the research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, which set sail from Shenzhen on August 10. The expedition brought together teams from Tsinghua University, the Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Over the course of the mission, the survey team performed seven deep-submergence dives and more than a dozen preliminary surveys.

Ship-tracking data from Shipxy indicates the research vessel conducted its operations in ocean areas situated north and east of Taiwan and north of the Philippines. Researchers also observed biological communities in the hydrothermal field that have adapted to live in extreme marine environments.