Oceanography Project

7/30/2019 Oceanography Project

1/4

Christopher Rost Oceanography period 4

Mr. Jordan 3/27/12

Volcanoes are prevalent forces of nature that are strewn across the

world. Their force and effects are easily and widely observed when they

erupt on the land. However, what occurs when a volcano erupts underneath

the surface of a body of water? Experts have been studying the effects of the

eruptions for many years, coming to numerous conclusions. There are a

multitude of undersea volcanoes and that many people are unaware of yet

influence numerous factors of the world around them.

Undersea volcanoes can cause damage to the world they occupy.

When a volcano collapses on land they can produce landslides. When an

undersea volcano collapses, it can produce tsunamis. The landslides from the

sides of the volcanoes produce the tsunamis and their giant waves. Tsunamis

are giant waves capable of swallowing whole islands and entire coastlines in

their watery maw.

The most noticeable action of an undersea volcano is that they create

new land. One of the more recognizable examples is the Hawaiian Islands.

When the molten magma comes in contact with the ocean water, new land

can begin to form. The magma cools resulting in rock being formed. Active

volcanoes have hydrothermal vents which provide habitats for organisms

that can dwell in the area. There are organisms that have adapted to living in

the heat and fumes that result from a hydrothermal vent around a volcano.


2/4

They are able to survive the heat and they have adapted to surviving off the

materials that the vents produce. There are almost analogous to coral reefs

except there is no reef. New species have been found in these areas when

they have been explored. Shrimps, crabs, limpets, and barnacles have been

found around underwater volcanoes. Some of these have been new species

that were previously unknown. They survive in harsh chemical conditions

that would be uninhabitable to other sea creatures. It has been found that

most of the animals are dependent on diffuse hydrothermal venting that

provides basic food in the form of bacterial filaments coating the rocks.

Shrimp that previously ate the filament from the volcano have adapted to be

able to jump on fish and drag them into the vents where they die. The

habitats surrounding underwater volcanoes could provide insight for

scientists about how life on Earth may have come about in similar

circumstances and environments. Fossils 1.43 billion years old have been

discovered near ancient vents on the sea floor. The vents provide life for

numerous organisms. However, if the vents are covered over or cease to

flow, the organisms in the area die. This can lead to the loss of a whole

ecosystem due to a slight change.

Volcanic eruptions on the land are very dangerous to be around and

thus prove to be difficult to observe. Underwater volcanic eruptions provide a

chance to better observe eruptions since volcanic plumes act quite

differently under water than on land. Steam that is produced immediately

condenses and disperses. What are visible are clear bubbles of carbon


3/4

dioxide and a cloud of tiny droplets of molten sulfur that are formed when

sulfur dioxide mixes with seawater. The volcanic gases cause the eruption

cloud to be extremely acidic, which poses a major problem for organisms in

the area. The eruptions add to the growing acidification of the ocean which

challenges sea life around the world.

Underwater volcanoes are formed at fissures in the sea floor. Since the

ocean surface is denser than the underlying mantle, it creates pressure on

the mantle and the surface cracks. This forms a fissure which can result in an

underwater volcano. The reduction in pressure allows the buoyant, molten,

liquid rock to rise through the fissure. When it emerges from the fissure, this

is classified as an eruption. At times lava blocks the fissure and at other

times it piles up in several layers to from underwater ridges. The eruptions

are highly explosive and can result in the formation of islands. The thermal

conductivity of water is much more than that of the earth or solid rock

particles and as a result magma is transformed into glass much more faster

in the water than in the case of volcanic eruptions on the surface. When the

lava comes in contact with the surrounding water, a solid crust is formed and

the lava flows in that crust consistently, forming a structure which is called

"pillow lava".the heat of the eruption can cause much evaporation and can

leave and area of water more shallow than it had been before the eruption.

Various chemicals dissolve into the water from under the earth where the

eruption occurs. Undersea volcanoes are responsible for many of the islands

that have emerged and they continue to form new land with their eruptions.


4/4

Underwater volcanoes have great impact on the world and the

environment. They form new land and new ecosystems. They introduce

chemicals and materials into the ocean in places they did not previously

exist in. Underwater volcanoes provide new habitats for creatures in places

they do not normally reside. Undersea eruptions are vastly different from

eruptions on land and react in different ways. Volcanoes are a mighty force

no matter where they occur, on land or in the water.

Works Cited

www.livescience.com

news.discovery.com

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/underwater-volcanoes-how-are-underwater-

volcanoes-formed.html
http://www.livescience.com/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/underwater-volcanoes-how-are-underwater-volcanoes-formed.htmlhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/underwater-volcanoes-how-are-underwater-volcanoes-formed.htmlhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/underwater-volcanoes-how-are-underwater-volcanoes-formed.htmlhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/underwater-volcanoes-how-are-underwater-volcanoes-formed.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/

Documents

Oceanography Project