British Antarctic Survey team, England, the first survey conducted in late June 2011 revealed, there is a chain of volcanoes near the South Sandwich Islands, in the remote Atlantic Ocean. Some mountain peaks, rising to 10,000 feet from the seabed. Everything looks very vulnerable. If there is a giant landslide or a volcanic eruption that, certainly could trigger large tsunamis that will destroy millions of human souls.
Actually, about the volcano on the seabed has been revealed in Captain Cook's travel records in 1775. In his notes disclosed, Cook has found a large island that has the volcano from the bottom of the sea. But the number of island volcanoes are active and will erupt above sea level is not sufficiently disclosed. Although at that time he was just guessing because it has no special equipment, had told the bubbling sea water, there seems to be the furnace below the sea surface.
"Since then, what expressions, Captain Cook is considered a joke and just ignored. Just enter the year 2009, the team conducted a survey of Captain Cook's trail," said Phil Leats of the British Antarctic Survey who is leading new development efforts. "We mapped out in detail the seabed around the islands, named by Captain Cook," he said. However, some locations can not be approached because there was a heat of sea water motion more than 1,000 degrees Celsius. And the area is clear there are craters of bubbling water. In the first data collection, there were a dozen striking volcanic peaks in comparison with other peaks protruding from the seabed. Experts pemetaaan seabed of the British Antarctic Survery reveals that while the seabed mountain range is called "Top Dozen Great". Some of them have active and visible in scanning the seafloor in sonar waves and wave motion of air currents of sea water.
Expedition ship, which was equipped with "scan sonar" is able to scan images of sea surface with its volcanic seeara position clear. Disclosed, there are twelve underwater volcanoes, some of which rise almost two kilometers high from the seafloor. Some of the mountain has long been active and are thought to have been a few times there is a small eruption. There are other slopes of the mountain has collapsed, and formed a large crater about three miles. "This is the largest volcano on the seabed," said Leats.
"The existence of active volcanoes, located on the seabed is not really surprising, but it is very interesting," said Ian Dalziel, a member of the team from the University of Texas at Austin. Volcanoes that occur on the seabed are the result of the South American Plate sliding under the South Sandwich microplate to the east.
This movement brings the water into the inside of the earth. The water passes upward, eventually leading to the eruption of molten rock. String of this volcano, tend to occur on a line parallel to the plate boundaries.
They represent a new continental crust that will grow, by rising from the sea in the not too long, and if among them erupt could destroy a continent. "We have a GPS (global positioning survey) indicating that the South Sandwich Islands to move quickly to the east close to Africa," said Dalziel.
The findings are of interest to geologists, who hopes to learn more about the eruption of underwater and how to form new continental crust. All this is a treasure discovery for geologists because of the hot water vents that spew rocks from the seafloor to create new environments for life.
"We know there are different ecosystems and the whole new life forms around hot areas," said Leats.
These findings also raise awareness of how vulnerable the danger to humans. Volcanoes like this often have an unstable slope, and if all sides become unstable can suddenly produce landslides and tsunamis. West coast of Africa is very vulnerable to tsunamis triggered by volcanoes that this newly discovered.
"The disaster seems to have occurred in this area. We can see the scar (avalanche). We can also see the remaining large avalanches, which have caused a tsunami large enough some time ago, so obviously this is a very dangerous area," said Leats.
Meanwhile, experts consisting of a combination of geologists Indonesia, U.S., and France, also managed to find a giant volcano under the sea waters west of Sumatra. The volcano is 50 km in diameter and height of 4,600 meters and located 330 km west of Bengkulu.
Geologists from the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia, CGG Veritas and IPG (Institut de Physique du Globe) Paris.
"The volcano is very big and tall. In Indonesia's land, no mountains as high as Mount Jayawijaya except in Papua," said Director of Technology Center for Natural Resources Inventory BPPT Yusuf Surachman told reporters in Jakarta. He also revealed that the volcano on the seabed in the Sunda Trench in the southwest of Sumatra, 330 miles from Bengkulu, at a depth of 5.9 kilometers with a peak at a depth of 1,280 meters above sea level.
Although the mountain is known to have a caldera, which mark it as a volcano, the experts claimed not to know the level of activity of this underwater volcano. "What is certain volcanoes on the sea floor is very dangerous if it erupts, and the impact is very broad," he said. Review the use of advanced seismic vessel Geowave Champion, owned by CGG Veritas is the first in the world because it uses the longest streamer, which is 15 kilometers, from the ever undertaken by reviewers seismic vessel.*** [DEDI RISKOMAR | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 04082011]
Actually, about the volcano on the seabed has been revealed in Captain Cook's travel records in 1775. In his notes disclosed, Cook has found a large island that has the volcano from the bottom of the sea. But the number of island volcanoes are active and will erupt above sea level is not sufficiently disclosed. Although at that time he was just guessing because it has no special equipment, had told the bubbling sea water, there seems to be the furnace below the sea surface."Since then, what expressions, Captain Cook is considered a joke and just ignored. Just enter the year 2009, the team conducted a survey of Captain Cook's trail," said Phil Leats of the British Antarctic Survey who is leading new development efforts. "We mapped out in detail the seabed around the islands, named by Captain Cook," he said. However, some locations can not be approached because there was a heat of sea water motion more than 1,000 degrees Celsius. And the area is clear there are craters of bubbling water. In the first data collection, there were a dozen striking volcanic peaks in comparison with other peaks protruding from the seabed. Experts pemetaaan seabed of the British Antarctic Survery reveals that while the seabed mountain range is called "Top Dozen Great". Some of them have active and visible in scanning the seafloor in sonar waves and wave motion of air currents of sea water.
Expedition ship, which was equipped with "scan sonar" is able to scan images of sea surface with its volcanic seeara position clear. Disclosed, there are twelve underwater volcanoes, some of which rise almost two kilometers high from the seafloor. Some of the mountain has long been active and are thought to have been a few times there is a small eruption. There are other slopes of the mountain has collapsed, and formed a large crater about three miles. "This is the largest volcano on the seabed," said Leats.
"The existence of active volcanoes, located on the seabed is not really surprising, but it is very interesting," said Ian Dalziel, a member of the team from the University of Texas at Austin. Volcanoes that occur on the seabed are the result of the South American Plate sliding under the South Sandwich microplate to the east.
This movement brings the water into the inside of the earth. The water passes upward, eventually leading to the eruption of molten rock. String of this volcano, tend to occur on a line parallel to the plate boundaries.
They represent a new continental crust that will grow, by rising from the sea in the not too long, and if among them erupt could destroy a continent. "We have a GPS (global positioning survey) indicating that the South Sandwich Islands to move quickly to the east close to Africa," said Dalziel.
The findings are of interest to geologists, who hopes to learn more about the eruption of underwater and how to form new continental crust. All this is a treasure discovery for geologists because of the hot water vents that spew rocks from the seafloor to create new environments for life.
"We know there are different ecosystems and the whole new life forms around hot areas," said Leats.
These findings also raise awareness of how vulnerable the danger to humans. Volcanoes like this often have an unstable slope, and if all sides become unstable can suddenly produce landslides and tsunamis. West coast of Africa is very vulnerable to tsunamis triggered by volcanoes that this newly discovered.
"The disaster seems to have occurred in this area. We can see the scar (avalanche). We can also see the remaining large avalanches, which have caused a tsunami large enough some time ago, so obviously this is a very dangerous area," said Leats.
Geologists from the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia, CGG Veritas and IPG (Institut de Physique du Globe) Paris.
"The volcano is very big and tall. In Indonesia's land, no mountains as high as Mount Jayawijaya except in Papua," said Director of Technology Center for Natural Resources Inventory BPPT Yusuf Surachman told reporters in Jakarta. He also revealed that the volcano on the seabed in the Sunda Trench in the southwest of Sumatra, 330 miles from Bengkulu, at a depth of 5.9 kilometers with a peak at a depth of 1,280 meters above sea level.
