The Hawaiian Island chain is an archipelago created by the Hawaii hotspot that is currently centered right off the coast of Hawaii. Lōʻihi, a large seamount located only 22 miles (35 kilometers) away from the Big Island, was discovered in 1940 and has been the holy grail for volcanologists studying submarine volcanoes. Beginning to form around 400,000 years ago, this new seamount is expected to surface around 10-100,000 years from now, which is relatively young in geological time. In 1996, an earthquake swarm of 4,070 earthquakes between 16 July and 9 August was the highest activity recorded to date, and record temperatures at 250 degrees Celsius were registered underwater. The seismic activity mirrors occurrences before large eruptions above sea, and encouraged countless submersible expeditions to study the young volcano and future islands. This volcanic event has been instrumental in our current understanding of submarine volcanoes and a greater understanding of the formation of our Earth.
Contributed by Travis Batiza
Course: Modern Global Environmental History
Instructor: Dr. Wilko Graf von Hardenberg
University of Wisconsin–Madison, US