Researchers have, for the first time, captured images demonstrating the high pulsating nature of submarine volcanism highlighting the dynamic nature of the sea floor.
A team of researchers studying the Monowai submarine volcano in the Tonga-Kermadec Arc have recorded enormous changes in the collapse and growth rate of the volcano in just a period of two weeks.
The images captured shed new light on the link between the depth changes to explosive activity at the volcano.
The findings have been reported in the latest online edition of the journal Nature Geoscience.
MSNBC reported that as the researchers surveyed the seafloor near Monowai seamount in mid-May 2011 the crew noticed yellow-green water and gas bubbles rising above the volcano. As the ship was leaving the area, near Tonga, it went through a patch of discoloured water with a strong smell, like rotten eggs, Oxford University geologist Anthony Watts said.
A week later, as Watts and his team surveyed another area, they found one more piece of compelling information. A seismic station in Cook Islands detected an intense five-day swarm of seismic activity and traced it to an eruption at Monowai seamount. Watts and the ship returned to find that parts of the volcano had collapsed and grown in dramatic fashion.
According to OurAmazingPlanet, using advanced bathymetry tools, the scientists saw that a large section of the volcano's flank had collapsed - a volume equal to about 630 Olympic-size swimming pools. The peak of the volcano, however, had grown by 236 feet (72 metres), adding 3,500 swimming pools' worth of volume to the summit.
The researchers mentioned that although the cause of the collapse is unclear, they believe that the new material was most likely hardened magma that erupted the week before.
The rapid changes noted at Monowai thus indicate that the volcano grows and collapses in dramatic pulses.
Till date, it was difficult to study submarine volcanoes and so, little was known if other similar volcanoes also grew in rapid pulses.
Catch a glimpse of some spectacular images of underwater volcano eruptions in different parts of the world below:
People look at an eruption of an underwater volcano in Hunga Ha'apai, Tonga March 18, 2009. The eruption is only 34 nautical miles off the coast of Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa. Picture taken March 18, 2009.ReutersA water whirlpool is seen in a stained area in the sea caused by submarine eruption in front of the town of La Restinga, on the south coast of the Canary Island of El Hierro October 16, 2011. The Canary Islands authority has raised the emergency situation to red level 1 as the submarine volcano near El Hierro is spilling magma, however the risk to the population on the island is low, according to the Cabildo de el Hierro on Saturday after a scientific evaluation.ReutersThe Kavachi volcano explodes under the Pacific Ocean sending chunks of lava and steam around 70 metres into the air and creating a new piece of land located near the island of Tetepare, which is part of the Solomon Island group. A team of Australian scientists witnessed the extremely rare creation of the island from a distance of no closer than 750 metres for fear that their ship would be unable to float beacause of all the gas present in the water. The volcano sits atop an 800 metre-high underwater mountain which has a 3.5 kilometre diameter base.ReutersSmoke is seen after an underwater volcano erupted in Hunga Ha'apai, Tonga March 18, 2009. The eruption is only 34 nautical miles off the coast of the Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa. Picture taken on March 18.ReutersA group of volcanic 'smoking chimneys' blow hot steam upwards in this Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organsiation (CSIRO) photo taken somewhere under the Pacific Ocean. This phenomena is similar to what occured at the Kavachi volcano, located near the island of Tetepare, which is part of the Solomon Island group. The Kavachi volcano exploded after similar chimneys spewed chunks of lava and steam around 70 metres into the air and created a new piece of land. A team of Australian scientists witnessed the extremely rare creation of the island from a distance of no closer than 750 metres for fear that their ship would be unable to float beacause of all the gas present in the water. The volcano sits atop an 800 metre-high underwater mountain which has a 3.5 kilometre diameter base.ReutersAn eruption of an underwater volcano is seen in the Pacific Ocean near the uninhabited Minami Iwojima Island, about 1,400km (870 miles) south of Tokyo July 3, 2005. The Japanese Coast Guard sent a plane to investigate the approximately 1,000-metres (3,280-ft) column of steam after it was spotted on Saturday by a member of Japan's armed forces stationed on the island of Iwojima.Reuters
