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Description
Vailulu'u marks the current location of the Samoan hotspot and has an active hydrothermal system. The Microsoft Excel file contains basic statistics on the morphology of Vailulu'u including volume and breach area estimates with depth. Finally it contains some depth plots for nephels, salinity, potential temperature and density. |
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Geological Age Range and Timescale
1 - 0 Ma, Holocene |
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Location
14º 12.73' S 169º 03.44' W, Pacific Ocean, American Samoa, Vailulu'u Volcano, Rockne Seamount, Samoan Islands, Samoan Hotspot Trail |
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Keywords
Underwater Volcano, Volcanic Crater, Hydrothermal System, Seamount, Hotspot, CTD, Nephelometry, SeaBIRD, Fluorometry, Breach Area, Crater Volume, Salinity, Potential Temperature, Density, OBH Locations, Sample Locations |
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Project -- Other Projects -- Vailulu'u: the Active Samoan Hotspot Volcano
Vailulu'u Seamount is identified as an active volcano marking the current location of the Samoan hotspot. This seamount is located 45 km east of Ta¿u Island, Samoa, at 169¿03.5¿W, 14¿12.9¿S. Vailulu'u defines the easternmost edge of the Samoan Swell, rising from 5000m ocean floor to a summit depth of 590m, and marked by a 400m deep and 2 km wide summit crater. Its broad western rift and stellate morphology brand it as a juvenile progeny of Ta¿u. Seven dredges, ranging from the summit to the SE Rift zone at 4200m, recovered only alkali basalts and picrites. Isotopically, the volcano is strongly EM2 in character and clearly of Samoan pedigree (87Sr/86Sr: 0.7052-0.7067; 143Nd/144Nd: 0.51267-0.51277; 206Pb/204Pb: 19.19-19.40). 210Po-210Pb data on two summit basalts indicate ages younger than 50 years; all of the recovered rocks are extremely fresh, and veneered with glass. An earthquake swarm in early 1995 may attest to a recent eruption cycle. |
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