9 Apr 11 -
Scientists aboard the research vessel Tangaroa will use a
free-diving robotic vehicle to explore five major submarine
volcanoes in the Kermadec Arc for mineral deposits and hydrothermal
activity.
The
Kermadec Arc, a chain of 94 submarine volcanoes north of New
Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, contains many active volcanoes.
The voyage is the first project in an international program
involving GNS Science, Niwa, and Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (Whoi) from the United States.
"Many of the volcanoes have highly active hydrothermal vent systems,
which are home to unique biological communities of animals which
thrive in the very hot and chemically-rich environments." said
project leader Cornel de Ronde of GNS Science.
The submarine volcanoes - Clark, Rumble II West, Healy, Brothers,
and Rumble III - are all huge, ranging from about the size of New
Zealand's Mount Ngauruhoe to larger than Mount Ruapehu.
For comparison, Mount Ngauruhoe stands about 1.4 miles (2.4 km)
tall, while Mount Ruapehu, with its three peaks all measuring more
than 1.6 miles (2.7 km) high, is the largest active volcano in New
Zealand.
Although I think the mission would have found more volcanic activity
during an active El Niño,
it will still be interesting to learn how much heat these huge
underwater volcanoes are pumping into the sea.
See entire article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10709388
Thanks to Mick Russell for this link
