Several monstrous volcanoes, spreading ridges and rift zones have been found on the seafloor northeast of Fiji by a team of American and Australian scientists.
On the hunt for subsea volcanic and hot-spring activity, the team of geologists located the volcanoes while mapping previously uncharted areas aboard the Marine National Facility Research Vessel Southern Surveyor. Using high-tech multi-beam sonar mapping equipment, digital images of the seafloor revealed the formerly unknown features.
The summits of two of the volcanoes, named 'Dugong,' and 'Lobster,' are dominated by large calderas at depths of 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) and 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).
During the six-week research expedition in the Pacific Ocean, scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), CSIRO Exploration & Mining and the United States, collaborated to survey the topography of the seafloor, analyzing rock types and formation, and monitoring deep-sea hot spring activity around an area known as the North Lau Basin, 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Fiji.
Chief Scientist, ANU Professor Richard Arculus describes the terrain as spectacular.
"Some of the features look like the volcanic blisters seen on the surface of Venus," he said. "These active volcanoes are modern day evidence of mineral deposition such as copper, zinc, and lead and give an insight into the geological make-up of Australia.
"It provides a model of what happened millions of years ago to explain the formation of the deposits of precious minerals that are currently exploited at places like Broken Hill and Mount Isa. It may also provide exploration geologists with clues about new undiscovered mineral deposits in Australia.
CSIRO's Director of Research Vessels, Captain Fred Stein, says the expedition was a humbling experience. "It was a reminder that at the beginning of the 21st century it is still possible -– on what is often regarded as a thoroughly explored planet -– to discover a previously unknown massif larger than Mount Kosciuszko," he said.
Source: Xinhua\agencies
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