skip to main content

Deep-Ocean Volcanoes

1 minutes 50 seconds
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
  • Chapters
  • descriptions off, selected
  • captions off, selected

      (Describer) Under a round logo of a wave, title: Ocean Today.

      (Describer) An animation of lava cracks in rock opens to reveal a real scene of plumes and bursts of fire underwater. Title: Deep-Ocean Volcanoes.

      (Describer) On land, orange lava gushes and splashes.

      (female narrator) Scientists believe that 80% of the volcanic eruptions on Earth take place in the ocean.

      (Describer) An animated view dives underwater.

      Most of these volcanoes are thousands of feet deep and difficult to find, but in May of 2009, scientists captured the deepest ocean eruption ever found. Nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area between Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga, the West Mata volcano was discovered. The explosions of molten rock were spectacular. This volcano was produced in boninite lavas, believed to be among the hottest erupting on Earth. Scientists also witnessed molten lava flowing across the deep ocean seafloor and spotted shrimp living near the volcano's most active areas. This research allows us to closely examine how ocean islands and undersea volcanoes are born. It may also shed light on how heat and matter transfer from the earth's interior to the surface, and how life adapts to some of the harshest conditions on our planet.

      (Describer) A crab crawls with the shrimp.

      Finding West Mata was a huge break for scientists and for those interested in seeing what takes place in the deepest depths of our ocean.

      (Describer) Titles: Ocean Today has been brought to you by the Smithsonian Institution in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

      Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

      Transcript Options


      Now Playing As: English with English captions (change)

      Scientists believe that 80 percent of the volcanic eruptions on Earth take place in the ocean. Most of these volcanoes are thousands of feet deep and difficult to find. In May of 2009, scientists captured the deepest ocean eruption ever found. Nearly 4000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the West Mata volcano was discovered.

      Media Details

      Runtime: 1 minutes 50 seconds

      Map of Alaska with Anchorage displayed. 1964 Epicenter indicated on coastline in bay adjacent to Anchorage. Caption: The epicenter was in Prince William Sound
      11 minutes 37 seconds
      Grade Level: 7 - 12
      A group of people visiting an active volcano. Caption: scientists visited New Zealand's topol volcanic zone,
      4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
      Episode 17
      2 minutes 19 seconds
      Grade Level: 10 - 12
      A diagram illustrates certain traits recurring in a grain plant. Caption: Those traits remain the same generation after generation.
      4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
      Episode 21
      2 minutes 19 seconds
      Grade Level: 10 - 12
      Still image from: 4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week (Episode 32)
      4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
      Episode 32
      2 minutes 19 seconds
      Grade Level: 10 - 12
      Still image from: 4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week (Episode 41)
      4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
      Episode 41
      3 minutes 59 seconds
      Grade Level: 10 - 12
      Still image from: 4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week (Episode 43)
      4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
      Episode 43
      4 minutes 9 seconds
      Grade Level: 10 - 12
      Yellow wildflower in foreground, low shrubs and dead trees in background. Boulder County Colorado Front Range. Caption: (Rother) This is a portion of the 2003 Overland Fire.
      WildFIRE PIRE
      Episode 1
      3 minutes 33 seconds
      Grade Level: 7 - 12
      Closeup of hands holding a narrow, red tubular object. Caption: With a warmer climate, do we suspect to see more fire?
      WildFIRE PIRE
      Episode 8
      9 minutes 23 seconds
      Grade Level: 9 - 12
      Scuba diver swimming above a wooden ship submerged in shallow water. Caption: In the Baltic and Arctic, wooden ships are preserved.
      Adventures of a Maritime Archaeologist
      Episode 4
      2 minutes 12 seconds
      Grade Level: 7 - 12
      Scuba diver swimming above a flat surface covered in ocean detritus. Caption: the oceans are a tremendous place to work.
      Adventures of a Maritime Archaeologist
      Episode 1
      1 minutes 27 seconds
      Grade Level: 7 - 12