Skip to main content
← Back to map
⇄ Compare

CoAxial Segment

Fissure vent · Undersea Features · 2400m (submarine)

During a 1993 ROPOS ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) dive on the CoAxial Segment along the Juan de Fuca Ridge a new lava flow was discovered on the sea floor. It was still hot and venting warm water (up to 50°C), and was 2.5 km long and 300 m wide. Bright yellow sediment patches indicated the presence of iron-reducing bacteria in the vent fluids. The CoAxial segment is located about 435 km W of the Oregon coast, NE of Axial volcano.
During a 1993 ROPOS ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) dive on the CoAxial Segment along the Juan de Fuca Ridge a new lava flow was discovered on the sea floor. It was still hot and venting warm water (up to 50°C), and was 2.5 km long and 300 m wide. Bright yellow sediment patches indicated the presence of iron-reducing bacteria in the vent fluids. The CoAxial segment is located about 435 km W of the Oregon coast, NE of Axial volcano. · Photo: Image courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/home.html).
Type
Fissure vent
Country
Undersea Features
Region
Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions / Northeast Pacific Rifts Volcanic Province
Elevation
2400m (submarine)
Coordinates
46.520, -129.580
Last eruption
1993
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Cluster
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

The CoAxial segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge is about 435 km W of the Oregon coast, NE of Axial volcano. A submarine eruption along the CoAxial segment that produced thermal plumes and a new lava flow was detected by acoustic hydrophones in June 1993, just days after installation of the hydrophone system. This was the first deep-sea volcanic eruption detected as it was happening. The location of the eruption was at a depth of about 2,400 m, about 37 km NE of Axial volcano. Bathymetric surveys indicated that one or more additional sea-floor lava extrusions took place immediately east of the 1993 lava flow sometime between 1981-82 and 1991.

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1986~1987 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01992~1993 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 019861987199019911992

Detailed timeline

  1. 1993VEI 0Observed
    1993-06-26 – 1993-07-04
    N end CoAxial segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge
  2. 1986 (±5 yrs)VEI 0Observed
    1986-07-02 – Ongoing
    CoAxial segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.