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FAST FACTS
Where is it? Kavachi volcano, Solomon Islands [-8.992492984, 157.96863838]
What’s in the image? A plume of blemished water rising from an undersea eruption
Which satellite took the picture? Landsat 9
When was it taken? May 14, 2022
This uncommon image reveals a big plume of stained water increasing towards the Pacific Ocean’s surface area from the Kavachi volcano, likewise referred to as “sharkcano,” throughout an undersea eruption.
Kavachi is a submarine volcano that becomes part of the Solomon Islands, around 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Vangunu Island. Its peak stands approximately 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above the seafloor and lies simply 65 feet (20 m) listed below the waves. The volcano is called after the sea god of the Vangunu individuals and is likewise described as “Rejo te Kvachi,” or “Kavachi’s Oven,” according to NASA’s Earth Observatory
In 2015, a research study exploration found numerous scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewiniand smooth sharks (Carcharhinus falciformisliving within the volcano’s main crater. The unexpected existence of the oceanic predators at the volcano raised “new questions about the ecology of active submarine volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals exist,” the scientists composed.
It is uncertain whether any of the sharks at Kavachi were injured by the outburst that activated the plume in the image or if they had the ability to notice the inbound eruption and leave the crater.
The image was Launched in May 2022 by NASA Goddard on the social networks platform X in addition to the caption: “You’ve heard of sharknado, now get ready for sharkcano.”
Related: See all the very best pictures of Earth from area
Kavachi’s many violent current eruption remained in October 2016 when a jet of volcanic particles was ejected above the ocean’s surface area. (Image credit: Alex DeCiccio/Wikimedia)
The plume in the image becomes part of an eruption that started in October 2021 and lasted for simply a couple of weeks after the aerial image was taken. Comparable plumes took place throughout subsequent eruptions in August 2023 and April 2024, according to the International Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
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Before then, the volcano’s latest significant eruptions remained in 2016, 2014, 2007 and 2003. In the past, scientists likewise spotted ephemeral islands approximately half a mile (1 km) large being birthed by the eruptions and after that sinking. A comparable ghostly landmass just recently emerged after an undersea volcano in Japan blew its top in 2023.
Explosive plumes
Kavachi experiences “phreatomagmatic eruptions,” which happen when lava fulfills water and ejects steam, ash, volcanic rock pieces and portions of lava referred to as “incandescent bombs,” according to the Earth Observatory.
A research study performed in the wake of the 2007 eruption discovered that the volcanic plumes are made from warm, acidic water that likewise consists of particle matter and sulfur, which “attracts microbial communities that thrive on [the chemicals],” the scientists composed.
The volcano can likewise introduce jets of heated water with no noticeable plumes or other indications of appearing.
Locals of surrounding islands have actually often reported that they routinely see steam and ash on the water’s surface area in between eruptions, even more validating that the so-called sharkcano is percolating below the surface area.
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