The Ahyi seamount is a massive conical undersea volcano in the northern Marianas that rises to within 137 meters of the sea surface approximately 18 kilometers southeast of the peninsula near Farallon de Pajaros. Aqueous discoloration has been seen over the undersea volcano; and in 1979, the crew of a fishing vessel experienced shocks over the seamount's summit area, followed by a circulation pattern of sulfur-bearing water, as stated by USGS.
An explosive undersea eruption was observed in seismic activity from a seismograph at Rangiroa Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago, on April 24-25, 2001. The event occurred at the southern border of Ahyi and was well limited (+/- 15 km); the peak of the seamount is included in the geographical uncertainty.
As per Matt Haney, a USGS researcher and geophysicist, scientists are investigating whether the activity is caused by shallow earthquakes or by debris exploding from the crater. Scientists are reviewing satellite data to determine whether there is any discolored water, which might indicate that debris is erupting from the volcano, he added.
Ahyi Seamount Monitoring Seismic Activities
Nothing now indicates that this outburst will increase and become a huge one, according to Haney. Still, he believes seafarers should avoid the local region. Hydroacoustic sensors on Wake Island, 1,400 miles (2250 kilometers) distant, detected activity from an underwater volcanic source last month.
The USGS stated that scientists studied the signals with support from the Laboratoire de Geophysique from Tahiti, including data from seismographs in Guam and Japan to conclude that the origin of the movement was most presumably from Ahyi Seamount.
Based on the statement, the activity has been decreasing in recent days. Ahyi seamount seems to be a massive undersea volcano with a conical shape. Its maximum height was 259 feet (79 meters) underneath the ocean's surface. It is roughly 11 miles (18 kilometers) south of Farallon de Pajaros, commonly known as Uracas. Since there are no continuous monitoring sites near Ahyi Seamount, our capacity to identify and describe volcanic disturbance there is limited, the agency added.
USGS reported that hydroacoustic sensors at Wake Island began to record signals in mid-October that are consistent with submarine volcanic activity. A combined analysis of the hydroacoustic signals and seismic data from stations on Guam and Chichijima Island, Japan, suggest the source of this activity is at or near Ahyi seamount.
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Other Undersea Volcanoes on the Mariana's
Once two tectonic plates meet, trenches like these occur. The Pacific plate clashed with the significantly smaller Philippine plate at the Mariana Trench. The volcano may have begun erupting as early as mid-October, but the isolation of the location has made confirmation difficult, according to the USGS. Given that there are no observation stations nearby the seamount, scientists' capacity to assess volcanic activity is restricted.
Researchers will continue to constantly monitor distant hydroponic, seismic, but also satellite data. The Mariana Volcanic Arc, a series of over 60 active volcanoes running over 600 miles west of that and perpendicular towards the Mariana Trench, the world's lowest point, includes the seamount.
This isn't the first time that activity from Ahyi Seamount has been noticed. Water discoloration has already been seen when the volcano erupted. It is one of the world's most active volcanic sites.
The most recent eruption took place on May 17, 2014. At the time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA divers were performing coral reef studies nearby and reported hearing massive explosions. There still are nine volcanic lands while around 60 undersea volcanoes are in the Mariana area. There are around 20 active undersea volcanoes.
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