"Shark Volcano": NASA Satellite Captured The Undersea Eruption Of Kawachi Volcano

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The Kawachi volcano in the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific, where hammerhead sharks haunt, has entered an active stage of eruption Kawachi volcano is one of the most active undersea volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. According to the Smithsonian global volcano plan, the volcano will enter the eruption stage in October 2021. Now, satellite data show that the water around Kawachi has changed color in a few days in April and may 2022.

The above image, taken by the second generation land imager (oli-2) on Landsat 9 on May 14, 2022, shows a discolored water column ejected from an undersea volcano about 24 kilometers (15 miles) south of vangunu Island (see below).

Previous studies have shown that this superheated acidic water column usually contains particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments and sulfur. A scientific expedition to the volcano in 2015 found two species of sharks, including hammerhead sharks, living in submerged craters. The researchers also found microbial communities growing on sulfur.

The presence of sharks in the crater raises "new questions about the ecology of active undersea volcanoes and the possible extreme environment of large marine animals", scientists wrote in a 2016 oceanographic article "exploring shark volcanoes".

Prior to the recent event, researchers observed large-scale eruptions in kavac in 2014 and 2007. The volcano erupted almost continuously, and residents of nearby inhabited islands often reported significant steam and ash. Named after a sea god of the Gatokae and vangunu peoples, the island is sometimes called rejo te kvachi, or "kavachi's stove".

Since the first recorded eruption in 1939, Kawachi has formed transient islands many times. But these one kilometer long islands have been eroded and washed away by the waves. Currently, the peak of the volcano is estimated to be 20 meters (65 feet) below sea level; Its bottom lies on the seafloor and is 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) deep.

Kawachi volcano was formed in a tectonic active area, a subduction zone 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest. The lava produced by the volcano ranges from basalt rich in magnesium and iron to andesite containing more siliceous. It is famous for steam magma explosion. In this case, the interaction between magma and water leads to explosive explosion, ejecting steam, volcanic ash, volcanic rock fragments, etc.

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