While most of us think of volcanoes as high peaks jutting into the sky, scientists know that most volcanoes are hidden on the seafloor, clustered in chains of seamounts or spread along the mid-ocean ridges—where volcanic activity is greatest and Earth's crust is continually renewed. WHOI Featured Stories December 13, 2007Robot Paints Stunning Map of Deep-sea Volcano To create the map, the underwater vehicle known as ABE meticulously and methodically maintained a constant, low height above the rugged terrain of the active Brothers volcano, north of New Zealand. Source: Oceanus Magazine  August 4, 2006Jason Versus the Volcano Undersea robot provides a rare close-up view of a deep-sea eruption. Source: Oceanus Magazine  June 9, 2006Into the 'Mouth of Hell' Trained as geologist and a mountain climber, Ken Sims studies volcanoes around the world—collecting gas samples that will help unravel the volcanic processes that have shaped the Earth and its climate over billions of years, and that could provide warnings about future eruptions. Source: Oceanus Magazine  May 25, 2006To Catch an Erupting Volcano Researchers deploy a ring of ocean bottom seismometers on the seafloor around a volcanic island in Cook Inlet off Alaska. Source: Oceanus Magazine  September 27, 2005Nafanua, Eel City, and the Crater of Death New explorations of Vailulu'u, the 14,300-foot underwater volcano off Samoa, have revealed a volcano growing inside a volcano, a novel hydrothermal community swarming with eels, and a zone in the caldera that is devoid of life. Source: Oceanus Magazine  May 18, 2005Rambling Atop an Active Volcano With machete in hand and 60 pounds of satellite receiver and tripod on his back, Jeff Standish looked up into the lush tropical brush that covered the volcano, up a steep escarpment, and up again to the summit 3,000 feet above sea level. Then he turned to Rhea Workman, a graduate student in the WHOI/MIT Joint Program, and said, "We're going up where?" Source: Oceanus Magazine  May 2, 2005Rapid Response The earthquakes were coming fast and frequent, as many as 50 to 70 an hour. On the morning of Sunday, Feb. 28, undersea hydrophones began detecting the most intense swarm of earthquakes to occur in the last three years along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, about 200 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast. Source: Oceanus Magazine  January 30, 2004Conduits Into Earth's Inaccessible Interior Jules Verne wrote about a way to journey to the center of the earth, but unfortunately, we haven't found it yet. So we really don't know what happens deep inside our planet. Source: Oceanus Magazine  April 5, 2004Unraveling the Tapestry of Ocean Crust Most people know that oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface. Fewer people realize that the crust beneath oceans and continents is fundamentally different. Why this is so remains a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve. Source: Oceanus Magazine  June 22, 2004Peering into the Crystal Fabric of Rocks "Rock solid" is an oxymoron, to my way of thinking. Oh, the expression does have some truth in that minuscule, superficial portion of our planet where humans dwell. But the majority of rocks nearly everywhere else in the earth are continually changing their physical characteristics. Source: Oceanus Magazine  June 1, 2001Voyage to Vailulu'u 'X' marked the hot spot—below the sea surface WHOI News Releases May 25, 2005New Underwater Volcano Found Near Samoa An international team of scientists has discovered a new underwater volcano near Samoa, complete with its own "Eel City." Source: Media Relations May 16, 2000 Scientists Find Active Underwater Volcano East of Samoa Source: Media Relations April 16, 1999 Active 14,000 Foot Submarine Volcano Found near Samoa in South Pacific Source: Media Relations Related Slideshows Research at Masaya VolcanoHow Ken Sims and fellow scientists conduct research at this Nicaraguan volcano  Life at Lonar CraterWHOI volcanologist Adam Soule explored a crater in India formed by a meteorite. Related Video & Animation The Volcano ExplorerKen Sims explains why he works at Masaya, his interest in volcanoes worldwide, and what an oceanographer can learn from volcanoes on land. » View Video (Quicktime) » View Video (Media Player) WHOI Researchers, Labs, and Groups Stan HartWHOI Senior Scientist, Geology & Gephysics » Visit Web site  Deborah SmithWHOI Senior Scientist, Geology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Daniel J. Fornari» Visit Web site  Susan HumphrisGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Brian TucholkeGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Ken SimsGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Nobumichi ShimizuGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Maurice A. TiveyGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Hans SchoutenGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site  Rob L. EvansGeology & Geophysics » Visit Web site Last updated: September 3, 2009 | |||||||||||||
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