Submerged volcanoes pose tsunami threat
One of the world鈥檚 most active volcanic areas is a relatively unknown part of the seabed between New Zealand and Tonga, and could trigger a devastating tsunami at any moment, ANU geologist Professor Richard Arculus warned today.
While relatively little money is available for ocean research, submerged volcanoes pose a significant threat to communities across the Pacific, Professor Arculus said.
鈥淥ver the last six years, research teams from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Germany have mapped a relatively narrow strip of ocean stretching about 2000 kilometres from the north of New Zealand to Tonga, and found 75 previously unknown volcanoes. Only 10 volcanoes were known in the area prior to this research,鈥� he said.
鈥淚f any one of these underwater volcanoes either explosively erupts or collapses in a sudden movement, it would have a massive impact on the ocean, triggering a tsunami which could devastate communities across the region. There is evidence from new high-resolution images of these volcanoes that these events have happened many times in the past.
鈥淎ustralia has just one research ship equipped for seabed surveys, the RV Southern Surveyor and it is required to perform many different types of research each year. It is ironic that we know far more about the topography of Mars and the Moon than about Earth, simply because much of our planet is covered in water.鈥�
Professor Arculus said significantly more research would be required to pinpoint volcanoes that pose a significant risk of triggering a tsunami. He is one of few Australian researchers currently engaged in researching submerged volcanoes.
To help expand the ranks of researchers skilled at studying the underwater environment, ANU is launching an elite new degree next year, the Bachelor of Global and Ocean Sciences, to train a new generation of ocean scientists.
鈥淭he sea is the last great unexplored frontier on Earth. This research is important not just because it could help forewarn us of cataclysmic eruptions and tsunamis, but also because submerged volcanoes offer a direct channel to the Earth鈥檚 mantle, releasing gases and elements trapped since the planet鈥檚 early days.
鈥淭hese underwater vents support Earth鈥檚 earliest life forms, anaerobic bacteria which thrive in the chemicals and reduced gases released. They also are significant markers of rare mineral resources, such as gold, copper and zinc.
鈥淭he underwater terrain around some of these volcanoes is similar to the settings that existed around Broken Hill and other important mining areas 鈥� it鈥檚 just that the rocks are many million years younger with ongoing activity.鈥�
Source: The Australian National University
