Orca Seamount | |
---|---|
Height | ~500 m |
Location | |
Location | Near King George Island, Antarctica |
Coordinates | 62°26′00″S58°24′00″W / 62.433334°S 58.400002°W |
Geology | |
Type | Underwater volcano (Seamount) |
Orca Seamount is a seamount (underwater volcano) near King George Island in Antarctica, in the Bransfield Strait. While it is inactive,[ citation needed ] last volcanic activity at Orca Seamount is judged to have occurred in the recent past as there are temperature anomalies in the seawater around the seamount. [1] Thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms have been found at the seamount. [1]
The crater rim is about 3 km wide and about 500 m above the ocean floor. [2]
The seamount was first named by Professor O. González-Ferrán of Chile in 1987, after the orca (killer whale) often sighted in these waters. [3] [4] It was mapped and studied by the ship RV Polarstern during an Antarctic cruise (number ANT-XI/3) in 2005. [5] The variant name of Viehoff Seamount (approved in 6/95 ACUF 263) was named for Dr. Thomas Viehoff, a remote sensing specialist in marine sciences. Name proposed by Dr. G.B. Udintsev, Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry (VIG). [6]
The submarine volcano is a Pleistocene-Recent shield volcano within the Bransfield Basin. The volcano has a base diameter of 20 km, and a height of 1000 m. [7] Samples obtained from Orca seamount were identified as basalt and basaltic andesites, suggesting the existence of more differentiated products, such as dacites or rhyolites. [8]
The area presents geodynamic extension conditions as a consequence of a complex interaction of the Scotia, Antarctic and ancient Phoenix tectonic plates. [9]
In August 2020, the largest seismic swarm recorded in the history of the region began to occur. Between 36,000 [10] and 85,000 [11] earthquakes were detected in just a few months, with earthquakes up to magnitude 6.0. The swarm was located off King George Island, just a few kilometers from the Orca Seamount, which was thought to be extinct. Some studies indicate that the earthquakes were produced by magmatic intrusion, although there is no precise evidence that the volcano has erupted due to low instrumentation in the area. [11]
Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbor, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. The island previously held a whaling station. It is now a tourist destination with over 15,000 visitors per year. Two research stations are operated by Argentina and Spain during the summer season. While various countries have asserted sovereignty, it is still administered under the Antarctic Treaty System.
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Bridgeman Island is one of the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica. It is an almost circular, volcanic island marked by steep sides, measuring 900 by 600 metres with a maximum elevation of 240 m (787 ft) high, lying 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of King George Island.
Penguin Island is one of the smaller of the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
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The Samoa hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the south Pacific Ocean. The hotspot model describes a hot upwelling plume of magma through the Earth's crust as an explanation of how volcanic islands are formed. The hotspot idea came from J. Tuzo Wilson in 1963 based on the Hawaiian Islands volcanic chain.
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The Antarctic Peninsula, roughly 1,000 kilometres (650 mi) south of South America, is the northernmost portion of the continent of Antarctica. Like the associated Andes, the Antarctic Peninsula is an excellent example of ocean-continent collision resulting in subduction. The peninsula has experienced continuous subduction for over 200 million years, but changes in continental configurations during the amalgamation and breakup of continents have changed the orientation of the peninsula itself, as well as the underlying volcanic rocks associated with the subduction zone.
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