An impressive display of the earth’s power was witnessed by scientists 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists discovered the deepest erupting volcano yet and aided by the extreme pressure at that depth, they were able to send a remote controlled submersible within feet of it as it erupted.
Video of the event (click here) captured bubbles of magma as they shot into the ocean with a cloud of sulphur. The magma froze virtually instantly due to the extreme cold and fell to the surface as rock.
Co-Chief Scientist Bob Embley of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said, “It was an underwater Fourth of July – a spectacular display of fireworks nearly 4,000 feet deep.”
The mission featured a number of firsts in addition to the discovery of the volcano itself. For the first time scientists witnessed molten lava flowing across the ocean’s bottom and discovered a new type of lava.
NOAA said that the lava the volcano is producing has never before been seen on an active volcano. The Boninite lava is said to be the hottest erupting on earth in modern times. Scientists said it will allow a unique opportunity to learn how the earth recycles material when one tectonic plate subsides under another.
