Sharkcano, an undersea volcano where sharks live (earthsky.org)
Posted by
Kelly Kizer Whitt
May 26, 2022
This story was making the rounds on social media yesterday (May 25, 2022). Researchers have dubbed the underwater Kavachi volcano a sharkcano after finding sharks living in its submerged crater. The Kavachi sharkcano lies in the waters off the Solomon Islands, in the ocean near Australia and Papua New Guinea. Kavachi began an eruptive phase in October 2021, and satellite data showed discolored water around Kavachi on several days in April and May 2022, indicating eruptive activity. NASA Earth Observatory shared the satellite image, showing discolored waters rising upward from Kavachi on May 14.
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What’s going on inside the sharkcano?
Scientists found two species of sharks, including hammerheads, living in the submerged crater during a scientific expedition to Kavachi in 2015. Submarine plumes of superheated, acidic water, such as the one from Kavachi, usually contain particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments and sulfur. The scientists also found microbial communities thriving on the sulfur.
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a little more: https://earthsky.org/earth/sharkcano-undersea-volcano-sharks-live/?utm_source=EarthSky+News
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