A submerged volcano on the seamount known as the Home Reef in the central Tonga Islands has awoken after 16 years of deep sleep to poke its head out of the blue.
The seamount responsible for these short-lived structures sits in a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the, which holds some of the fastest converging tectonic plates in the world.
Here, the Pacific Plate is rapidly slipping under two other plates at a rate of about 24 centimeters a year , forming the second deepest trench in the world and an extremely active volcanic arc. In fact, this long stretch of seafloor ridge, which spreads from Tonga to New Zealand, is home to the highest density of underwater volcanos found anywhere on Earth.
Satellite images of the Home Reef's recent eruption capture the formation of its newest island in stunning detail. The image below was released by NASA using US Geological Survey data on September 14.A submerged volcano erupting to form Home Reef. A follow-up image taken on September 18 using USGS data and shared by the TGS on Facebook zooms in on the volcanic fall-out, as can be seen below.
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