Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Underwater Rock: Loihi Seamount


Loihi Seamount is an active volcano built on the seafloor south of Kilauea, another volcano about 30 km from shore. The seamount rises to 969 m below sea level and generates frequent earthquake swarms, the most intense of which occurred in 1996. An eruption at Lo`ihi has not been observed yet, but scientists from the University of Hawaii have recently made many submersible dives to the volcano and deployed instruments on its summit to study Loihi in much greater detail. This volcano is rather special as it is underwater, unlike many other volcanoes such as Mauna Loa or Hualalai.

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