Loihi (United States)

Status Normal Eruption 1996 -975m
Submarine (Intraplate / Oceanic crust (< 15 km))

Loihi

Loihi seamount, the youngest volcano of the Hawaiian chain, lies about 35 km off the SE coast of the island of Hawaii. Loihi (which is the Hawaiian word for "long") has an elongated morphology dominated by two curving rift zones extending north and south of the summit. The summit region contains a caldera about 3 x 4 km wide and is dotted with numerous lava cones, the highest of which is about 975 m below the sea surface. The summit platform includes two well-defined pit craters, sediment-free glassy lava, and low-temperature hydrothermal venting. An arcuate chain of small cones on the western edge of the summit extends north and south of the pit craters and merges into the crests prominent rift zones. Deep and shallow seismicity indicate a magmatic plumbing system distinct from that of Kilauea. During 1996 a new pit crater was formed at the summit, and lava flows were erupted. Continued volcanism is expected to eventually build a new island; time estimates for the summit to reach the sea surface range from roughly 10,000 to 100,000 years.

Sulfur deposited from fumarolic vents coats lava flows on Loihi seamount. Loihi, the youngest Hawaiian volcano, rises to within 975 m of the sea surface 35 km off the SE coast of the island of Hawaii. Two rift zones, oriented N-S, give the volcano an elongated form, and prompted its name, which is the Hawaiian word for "long." Fresh, sediment-free lava flows indicate the young age of the submarine volcano, and seismic swarms related to intrusive or eruptive activity have been recorded frequently.

Photo by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (University of Hawaii).

Last updated 2019-08-04 00:28:03

View Loihi Via Satellite

Camera

Latest activity