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PICTURE: WEST MATO VOLCANO ERUPTING in 2009. NATIONAL OCEAN AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION IMAGE COURT View more CREDIT: NATIONAL OCEAN AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION IMAGE COURT
Volcanic eruptions deep in our oceans can lead to extremely powerful releases of energy, high enough to power the entire United States, according to a study published today.
Deep-sea volcano eruptions have long been considered relatively uninteresting compared to those on land. While terrestrial volcanoes often cause spectacular eruptions and disperse volcanic ash into the environment, deep ocean eruptions have been believed to cause slow-flowing lava flows.
However, data collected from remote-controlled vehicles deep in the Northeast Pacific and analyzed by scientists at the University of Leeds has a link between the way ash is distributed in submarine eruptions and the creation of large and powerful columns of heated air Waters rising from the water uncovered the seabed, known as megaplumes.
These megaplumes contain hot, chemical-rich water and act in the same way as the atmospheric plumes of volcanoes on land, which expand first upwards and then outwards, carrying volcanic ash with them. The size of the megaplumes is immense. The volume of water is equivalent to forty million Olympic swimming pools. They were discovered over various submarine volcanoes, but their origins remain unknown. The results of this new research show that they form rapidly during the eruption of lava.
The research was carried out by Sam Pegler of the School of Mathematics and David Ferguson of the School of Earth and Environment and is published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Together they developed a mathematical model that shows how the ash from these submarine eruptions spreads several kilometers from the volcano. They used the ash pattern from a historic submarine eruption to reconstruct its dynamics. This showed that the amount of energy released and required to transport ash to the observed distances is extremely high – equivalent to the energy consumed by the entire United States.
David Ferguson said, “Most of the world’s volcanic activity occurs underwater, mostly at depths of several kilometers in the deep ocean. However, unlike terrestrial volcanoes, it is extremely difficult to determine that an eruption has occurred on the ocean floor. As a result, scientists still have a lot to learn about submarine volcanism and its effects on the marine environment. “
Research shows that submarine eruptions lead to the formation of megaplumes, but the release of energy is so rapid that it cannot be supplied from the erupted molten lava alone. Instead, research concludes that submarine volcanic eruptions lead to the rapid emptying of reservoirs of hot liquids in the earth’s crust. As the magma pushes up to the sea floor, it drives this hot liquid with it.
Sam Pegler added: “Our work provides evidence that megaplumes are directly related to the eruption of lava and are responsible for the transport of volcanic ash in the deep sea. It also shows that feathers must have formed within a few hours, which leads to an immense rate of energy release.
David Ferguson added, “Observing a submarine eruption in person remains extremely difficult, but developing instruments based on the seabed means that data can be broadcast live during the activity.
Efforts like this, along with the continued mapping and sampling of the ocean floor, are slowly revealing the volcanic nature of our oceans. “
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Additional Information:
“Rapid heat release from deep-sea eruptions creates megaplumes and disperses tephra” will be published in Nature Communications on April 21 at 10:00 am
10.1038 / s41467-021-22439-y
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