While the general perception associates calamities with destruction, some instances point in the other direction and prove that catastrophes can create too. In May 2018, the world witnessed the largest edifice eruption standing tall at more than 800 meters and spread across a diameter of 5 kilometers. The eruption of this enormous volcano is a result of strong seismic activities ranging from a magnitude of 3.5 to 5.8. The earthquakes and the resulting edifice were observed by the Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres (BRGM), France. The eruption is located roughly 50 kilometers east off the coast of Mayotte, a French archipelago situated between Madagascar and Mozambique.
The observation involved a bunch of seismometers and multibeam sonar devices that acted as eyes and ears under the ocean containing the volcano. The nexus of devices surfaced surprising results. Generally, the seismic activities under the ocean are at shallow depths. However, the eruptions caused between May 2018 and May 2019 were 48 kilometers below the ocean floor, a highly unusual depth for seismic activities.
Did you know that this is the largest underwater eruption ever documented? Indeed, this newborn volcano in the Mozambique Channel has released a volume of at least 5 km3 of lava over an 11-months period! pic.twitter.com/40Pv5qt9Mo— SeaExplorer Glider (@SeaExplorerUUV) September 27, 2021
Researchers at BRGM believe that the earthquakes happened in the boundary between the earth’s crust and mantle, leading to the formation of the volcano. The magma reservoir of the volcano is believed to come from the molten mantle layer of the earth.
According to the BRGM press release, the area witnesses a total of 1800 tremors which is the result of the damaged lithosphere (the brittle crust) leading to magma being sucked up from the reservoir. The magma made its way to the seafloor and producing lava, which then resulted in the volcano.
The movement of tectonic plates and seismic activities underwater has always been a matter of fascination for scientists and researchers across the world. This new development and the discovery of an underwater volcano has brought new insights into the paradigm of under-sea tremors.
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