Underwater volcanoes, also called submarine volcanoes, are different from the volcanoes that are found on the earth’s surface in regard to deep ocean floor eruptions.Volcanoes are mostly formed on the boundaries of tectonic plates, and when molten rock called lava comes or rises to the surface of the earth, a volcano eruption occurs. The underwater volcano types are formed when the two tectonic plates move away due to an earthquake.This divides the tectonic plates and allows extremely hot magma known as lava, and also debris or fumes, which ascend beneath from the mantle of the earth. This erupts at that level, sometimes violently. Because many plate borders remain underwater, nearly one-third of the volcanic activities have a great impact on the environment that takes place beneath the water. The underwater submarine volcanoes are not that dramatic in their explosion occurrences in comparison to the ones seen on land volcanoes, but the underwater environment is drastically affected due to their continuous activities when an eruption takes place through their vent. When the magma rises to the bottom of the ocean bed, it collides with the cold water of the ocean. This process leads to the creation of basaltic rocks, which are commonly referred to as ‘pillow lava’ because of their round, curved appearance.The crust layer of the oceans is mostly formed due to the formation of this pillow lava which generally cools down magma. Oceanic ridges occur when recurrent explosions occur across two tectonic plate borders; for example, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge develops new seafloor beds. The system of these underwater activities forces the tectonic plates at the ocean’s bottom and the landmass to move gradually but at a constant rate each year. The volcanic eruptions occur almost across half of the globe, anywhere around the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic activity in a region will contribute to the emergence of submerged cliffs known as seamounts that break the seafloor. For example, many Pacific Ocean island groups develop as a single volcano center. Eruptions occur through the centuries as per geological time when the Pacific Oceanic crust advances over it. The same also goes for the Earth’s crust for the land volcanoes.Interesting Facts About Underwater VolcanoesSubmarine volcanic eruptions mostly take the form of a pillow after it cools and settles down to the ocean surface in the form of basaltic rock with smooth flowing slopes.The fissure areas, which are the uppermost layer where the crust plates form, are known for their submarine or underwater volcanic activities. Such fissure areas are characterized by oceanic expanding regions or ridges as these areas serve as sites wherein continental plates move apart from each other. These could be observed in all of the world’s great oceanic crust.Since many oceanic expanding centers are located in concentrations higher than 1.2 mi (2 km) deep, undersea explosions account for around three-half of all volcanoes’ activities on the planet. The repercussions of such deeper explosions are undetectable if one wishes to observe them from the ocean’s surface. Basalt, the main bedrock that forms the mid-ocean ridges, is often produced by expanding center explosions.However, such explosions could be extremely severe. They have a similar character to Hawaii’s volcanic activity in which they could cause displacement of the crust of the earth. Stretching speeds range from 0.4-0.8 in (1–2 cm) annually in locations such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which annually leads to the east Pacific rise of 4-6 in (10–15 cm).Underwater explosions could also emerge when the Earth’s tectonic plates meet while the first layer gradually sinks beneath the other until everything remelts. The outbursts in these areas are termed ‘subduction zones’, which are very distinct from other oceanic ridges. Andesite, a result of the boiling of the subduction zone, is an igneous rock representative of tectonic plate lava flows.Due to their strong fluidity, as well as gaseous concentration, basaltic magmas are prone to dramatic outbursts. Massive andesitic explosions that are now operational have only recently been discovered and studied. These could only be addressed since the altitudes at which events originate attenuate their explosive power. The hotspot areas of volcanoes where the eruption takes place are often formed from a group of submarine volcano islands.The distance between the hydrothermal vents on the Earth’s crust increases as they get older from the point where the magma lava rises. Hydrothermal vents are generally biologically diverse because their form dodges nutrition magnetic fields forward toward the surface, drawing a range of parasitoid wasp species, as well as the crabs and fish that eat such nutrient-rich food.Researchers were astounded with the discovery in 1970 that a few organisms could also digest natural chemicals produced amid volcanic eruptions, producing subcultures surrounding the hotspots of hydrothermal vents, almost somewhat like the geyser activity of land volcanoes. The best example of an underwater volcano is the West Mata Volcano, where high-temperature molten rock or lava is generated with a dazzling burst of energy, which explodes underneath the ocean before eventually settling down to the ocean bed.The charred remains, along with rocks of the underwater eruptions from mid-ocean ridge of earth’s crust, were also observed to have been thrown into the ocean when the hot magma was burning underneath the water. The West Mata Volcano is located in the Pacific Ocean close to Fiji and the summit is approximately 3822 ft (1165 m) below sea level, while its bottom is 984 ft (300 m). The Hawaiian volcanoes are another good example of submarine eruptions. The submarine eruption needs a deeper research as many underwater volcano facts have gone missed by researchers.Shocking Facts About Underwater VolcanoesThere are almost 1350 active volcanoes around the globe, apart from the undersea submarine volcanoes on the ocean bed with a wide range near the mid-Atlantic ridge.Submarine volcanoes are volcanoes that are located beneath the water. On the Earth’s surface, the estimated number of active volcanoes is 1350, and it is believed that in the Pacific Ocean itself, there are approximately more than 10,000 volcanoes. According to the geologists’ research of underwater volcano facts, most of the submarine volcanoes or underwater volcanoes are formed close to or along the boundary of two adjoining tectonic plates.The movement of tectonic plates towards each other, overlapping each other or colliding with each other, forces the hot lava or magma to rise with great pressure from the cracks formed due to tectonic plates. The whole of the process above is referred to as the ‘volcanic eruption under the ocean’, similar to the one on land. Underwater debris would be lifted into the air by explosive eruptions in deep ocean water. Volcanism is believed to be the reason behind the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. The island of Surtsey in the southern part of Iceland is among the most recent cases of underwater submarine volcanic eruptions.The surface of the earth beneath the ocean water was raised, which led to the creation of the island of Surtsey. The massive heating temperature of lava, which is the form of molten rock, frequently forms fissures in the earth’s surface, resulting in a huge explosion from submarine explosions. In comparison to air, which is approximately 250 times stronger in force or exertion, ocean water generates the greater force on the earth’s surface.Such mounting demand has the potential to cause seafloor volcanic eruptions. The magma that cools down after colliding with water takes a solid form, creating the Earth’s crust, which was earlier a molten rock that originated from the mid-ocean ridge of either the Pacific plate or any other ocean plate.There is no particular shape to the lava, and it takes form as it spreads widely into the seabed or ocean bed. An underwater volcano is close to each, which is usually formed out of a group called the ring of fire. Underwater volcanic eruptions have contributed to global warming by leading to an increase in the amount of CO2 compounds in the water.It is difficult to detect the underwater eruption due to the lack of sound of boiling water, as the pressure is greater beneath the deep sea in comparison to the atmosphere. The latest technology, like hydrophones, also fails to detect the sound of an underwater volcanic eruption. Sea creatures’ adaptability in the depths of hot water habitats around the vents is being investigated by many researchers.Hydrothermal vents emerge from the seabed but stay well beneath the seawater’s surface. As a result, these hydrothermal vents are not referred to as ‘islands’. These hydrothermal vents might erupt suddenly, taking any of their forms. Underwater eruptions or volcanic eruptions are unpredictable.Weird Facts About Underwater VolcanoesThere are approximately 1 million undersea or submarine volcanoes on the planet. This sounds weird and shocking, but in every million square kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean, an average of 4,000 submarine volcanoes are there.This assumption is made regarding all other oceans of the planet, including up to 75,000 submarine volcanoes that erupt more than 0.5 mi (1 km) beneath the surface of the ocean. In 1977, the underwater vents of hydrothermal sources along with the newly discovered nature of life were known to the world near the mid-ocean ridges.The ocean floor has similar volcano-like hydrothermal vents and when the molten rock collided with the cold water of the ocean, it formed the basaltic rock formation on the ocean bed. The eruption under the ocean produced black smoke colliding with the water and was called the ‘black smokers’. The temperature recorded near these hydrothermal vents was around 660 F (349 C) and produced minerals and chemicals like hydrogen sulfide along with water.The vent scene was more like the hot water spring spots. The hot water also helped to maintain the ecology of the underneath water system, providing all the required living organisms such as mussels, tube worms, critters, and big clams. These living organisms of the ocean use sulfur to survive in the environment rather than natural sunlight.The black smokers’ products are also composed of zinc sulfide, calcium sulfate, and iron. The scenario would be similar to the chimney smoke produced by the house chimney. The height at which the black smokers’ black stacks rose was 30-40 ft (9-12 m). It would be 12 in (30 cm) wide in its area. The ‘8 degrees S lava field’ was most likely formed by the massive underwater submarine volcano eruption close to the East Pacific Rise, as per the records of the previous 25 years.In 1989, Macdonald, along with many others, believed that the submarine volcano eruption estimate was almost 3.6 cu mi (15 cu km), which should be sufficient to submerge the entire highway network of interstate travel in the United States to a deep depth of 32.8 ft (10 m). The axial summit region, or a vent along the line of chimneys 1.55 mi (2.5 km) from the east direction of the basin area, triggered the outburst of the volcano.There was also a historic submarine volcano eruption on Iceland’s Laki Island, recorded in 1783, with 3 cu mi (12.3 cu km) of its total estimated volume. A series of earthquakes, mostly close to the northern parts of the Gorda Ridge, was discovered in the month of February 1996. Immediately following the earthquakes, a geophysicist expert examined the region and discovered hot steam and new magma. On the pinnacle of a considerably existing gray rock formation was the terminus of a fresh black lava flow.Biggest Underwater VolcanoTamu Massif is the world’s biggest underwater volcanoTamu Massif, situated in the Pacific Ocean in the northwest direction, is the world’s biggest submarine volcano. This submarine volcano is located at the center of a shield volcano and the mid-ocean ridge. It was not clear until now whether this submarine volcano is accompanied by other volcanoes or is the only single volcano.Tamu Massif would be listed in the category of the world’s biggest volcano if the different resources acclamation made were true. The distance of this submarine volcano from Japan’s east country, 994 mi (1600 km), is close to the Shatsky Rise. The size of the volcano is 213,514.5 sq mi (553,000 sq km) with a peak of 6500 ft (1981 m) beneath the surface of the ocean.The base of the volcano is 4 mi (6.4 km) underwater in the ocean. The height of the submarine volcano is 14,632.5 ft (4460 m). In 1993, William Sager, a maritime geoscientist from the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, started researching the volcano near the A&M College of Geosciences, Texas.He, along with his researchers, claimed that Tamu Massif is the world’s largest submarine volcano with a single shield while volcanic landforms in the biosphere, for example, the plateau of Ontong Java, are also bigger, although it is unclear whether these are single volcanoes or chains of multiple volcanoes.Tamu Massif developed in the Late Jurassic period and the Early Cretaceous period around 145 million years ago. The volcano is believed to have vanished after appearing for a short time, as stated above. Tamu Massif was produced during a unique tectonically short erosive episode that was long considered to be inconceivable on the planet. Once verified, this submarine volcano, Tamu Massif, will become the world’s biggest recognized volcano, surpassing the new record of Puhahonu on the island of Hawaii. The whole composition is made up of basalt. It has relatively gentle elevations that range from a fraction of a degree through one degree towards the top.
Underwater volcanoes, also called submarine volcanoes, are different from the volcanoes that are found on the earth’s surface in regard to deep ocean floor eruptions.
