Volcanic Seamount in Hawaii Roars to Life as Two Dozen Earthquakes Recorded in 24 Hours

Authorities have reported that a volcanic seamount off the coast of Hawaii is beginning to rumble.

22 miles off the southeast coast of Hawaii is the active undersea volcano known as the Kamaehuakanaloa seamount.

3,200 feet or thereabouts are below sea level at its top. Large landforms called seamounts rise from the ocean floor but stop short of the water's surface.

On July 16 around 2 a.m., the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory noticed an increase in the volcano's seismic activity.

Two dozen earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 3.0 were registered between 1:30 and 6 in the morning just 24 hours later, according to a statement from the observatory.

Volcanic seamount in Hawaii

(Photo : Marc Szeglat/Unsplash)

According to the observatory, seismic energy pulses that occur every 15 to 20 seconds were used to measure the seismic tremors, as per NewsBreak.

When the announcement was made, the activity was still going on, and 24 earthquakes had already been noted.

The neighboring structures were unharmed, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

During the temblors, "no shaking" was experienced.

Off the shore of the island that is home to Klauea, one of the most hazardous volcanoes in the United States, and Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano on Earth, is the Kamaehuakanaloa seamount.

Scientist-in-charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Ken Hon stated in the statement that the increasing activity does not now indicate a probable eruption.

According to Hon, this seismic activity is probably the consequence of magma movement beneath the Kamaehuakanaloa seamount and is not currently indicating that it may result in an eruption.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will publish an additional notification if the swarm grows or dramatically changes.

An eruption of Kamaehuakanaloa wouldn't endanger the Island of Hawaii due to the volcano's deep ocean location and the nature of Hawaiian eruptions.

The activity of the volcanoes Mauna Loa and Klauea is unaffected by this earthquake swarm.

Since the early 1950s, Kama'ehuakanaloa has been the source of earthquake activity. There, between July and August 1996, the largest earthquake ever recorded took place.

Over 4,000 earthquakes were reported during this time. 95 of those were between 4.0 and 4.9 in magnitude.

Nearly 20 of the seamount's 100 documented earthquakes in 2020 had magnitudes of 3.0 to 3.9.

There are no monitoring devices on the volcano's peak since it is hundreds of feet below sea level, but seismometers on the ground allow scientists to keep track of its activity.

Also Read: White Island Disaster: Story Behind the Horrifying Volcanic Eruption That Killed 20 Tourists

Submarine volcanoes

On the deep ocean floor are submerged volcanoes. They have the same explosive power as volcanoes on earth, as per Royal Museums.

Submarine volcanoes, sometimes referred to as seamounts (underwater mountains), may be just as violent and in some cases bigger than those on land.

One million volcanoes, or nearly 750 times as many as there are on land, are thought to exist on the Pacific Ocean's floor alone, according to some oceanographers.

Everywhere magma rises to the sea floor and explodes, there are seamounts. New sea bottom material is created by lava or magma that has erupted and solidified.

More lava is released by the mid-ocean ridge volcanoes than from all other volcanoes combined.

A volcanic island is a seamount that has grown large enough to break through the ocean's surface.

The Hawaiian Islands serve as a perfect illustration of this process; in fact, a juvenile seamount known as Loihi, which is immediately southeast of Hawaii, has risen to a height of 3300 feet (1000 meters), is predicted to reach the surface in 50,000 years.

Seamounts create a variety of features in addition to the creation of fresh oceanic crust.

"Hydrothermal vents" are hot springs that occur where saltwater and magma from the seafloor or lava eruptions interact.

These characteristics were first found in 1979, despite the fact that they are now understood to be crucial to ocean dynamics.

More than 200 seabed vent sites have been discovered since then.

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