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West Mata

Fissure vent · Tonga · 1174m (submarine)

Incandescence and a plume at the Hades vent of West Mata in May 2009, a submarine volcano with a summit more than 1,000 m below the ocean surface. The volcano is located in the northeastern Lau Basin at the northern end of the Tonga arc, about 200 km SW of Samoa. It was discovered during a November 2008 NOAA Vents Program expedition, when West Mata was observed producing submarine hydrothermal plumes consistent with recent or ongoing lava effusion. A return visit in May 2009 documented explosive and effusive activity.
Incandescence and a plume at the Hades vent of West Mata in May 2009, a submarine volcano with a summit more than 1,000 m below the ocean surface. The volcano is located in the northeastern Lau Basin at the northern end of the Tonga arc, about 200 km SW of Samoa. It was discovered during a November 2008 NOAA Vents Program expedition, when West Mata was observed producing submarine hydrothermal plumes consistent with recent or ongoing lava effusion. A return visit in May 2009 documented explosive and effusive activity. · Photo: Courtesy of NSF and NOAA Ocean Exploration Program, 2009. · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Fissure vent
Country
Tonga
Region
Tonga-Kermadec Volcanic Regions / Northeast Lau Basin Volcano Group
Elevation
1174m (submarine)
Coordinates
-15.100, -173.750
Last eruption
2009
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Cluster
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

West Mata, a submarine volcano rising to within 1,174 m of the ocean surface, is located in the northeastern Lau Basin at the northern end of the Tofua arc, about 200 km SW of Samoa and north of the Curacoa submarine volcano. Discovered during a November 2008 NOAA Vents Program expedition it was found to be producing submarine hydrothermal plumes consistent with recent lava effusion. A return visit in May 2009 documented explosive and effusive activity from two closely spaced vents, one at the summit, and the other on the SW rift zone.

From Wikipedia

West Mata is an active submarine volcano located in the northeastern Lau Basin, roughly 200 km (124 mi) southwest of the Samoan Islands. It is part of the Tonga-Kermadec volcanic arc, which stretches from the North Island of New Zealand to Samoa. The volcano was first discovered in 2008 by scientists aboard the R/V Thompson research vessel, using sonar mapping and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to explore the seafloor. At the same time West Mata was discovered, multiple neighboring volcanoes—most of them hydrothermally active—were discovered as well, including Volcano O, Tafu-Maka, Northern Matas and East Mata.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
2008~2008 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 020082008200920092009

Detailed timeline

  1. 2008VEI 0Observed
    2008-11-16 – 2009-05-16
    Prometheus and Hades vents

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.