Hot Spots Under the Sea

Many of us have heard that the volcanoes around the world have become active one after another lately. Today, I would like to tell you about underwater volcanoes that caught my attention when I read it. I hope you find this topic as interesting as I do.

You might think volcanoes only appear on land, but there are underwater volcanoes at great depths, even at the bottom of oceans and seas.

Underwater volcanoes do not usually erupt as high as land volcanoes. Because the water mass above them creates a very high pressure at the bottom, causing the lava from the volcano to spread stagnantly to the ocean floor. Therefore, eruptions of many underwater volcanoes have no effect on the water surface.

In addition, stagnant lava, which is released as a result of the eruption of underwater volcanoes, quickly solidifies when it comes into contact with cold water. The lava that cools and solidifies accumulates over millions of years, reaching sea level and forming volcanic islands. So a volcanic island is actually a volcano whose roots go deep into the water.

The highest point in the world is known as Everest, whose height is calculated by measuring above sea level. Actually a dormant underwater volcano located in Hawaii, Mauna Kea Island has an elevation of about 10,100 meters from the ocean floor to its summit. That is 1,250 meters higher than Everest.

The world's youngest volcanic island was formed at the end of 2014 as a result of the eruption of an underwater volcano in the south of the Pacific Ocean. The most important feature of this newly formed island is that it rises in the middle of two islands that were there before and connects them. For this reason, this newly formed island was named Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai, after the two islands it united. Since this island resembles the volcanic formations on the surface of Mars, scientists are following its development closely. Many landforms on the Martian surface are also believed to have formed as a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago when the planet was covered with water.

Volcanic islands have a very fertile soil structure because the volcanic ash and cooling lavas scattered around as a result of the eruption bring many minerals to the surface. Due to the fact that the birds that come to the island carry seeds from other regions, a wide variety of vegetation occurs on the volcanic islands. This rich vegetation creates a special eco-system in an uninhabited island environment with no neighbors around it. Therefore, many volcanic islands are famous for having a large number of endemic species. For example, the Hawaiian Islands, which were formed as a result of volcanic movements, are home to more than 1000 endemic plant species.

Endemic: Living things that can only grow or live in a certain region, depending on the conditions of the region they are in.

Ecosystem: It is a system that requires continuity and is formed by the mutual relations of the living things living in a certain area and the non-living things that make up the environment of these living things.

I hope you enjoyed this article where I talk about underwater volcanoes and their contribution to the world.

Stay with love and knowledge…