Daikoku Seamount

About

Daikoku Seamount is a submarine volcano located in the Northern Mariana Islands, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is situated on the Mariana volcanic arc. The seamount rises over 2,500 m (8, 202 ft) meters from the seafloor, with its summit about 323 m (1, 060 ft) below sea level. Since its discovery, the seamount has been studied by several expeditions, including expeditions made by NOAA, using various scientific tools, such as sonar mapping and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Daikoku Seamount hosts an active hydrothermal vent system that hosts diverse communities of deep-sea organisms, including tube worms, crabs, and snails. At the summit of the seamount, a crater filled with molten liquid sulfur called "Sulfur Cauldron" exists, which was discovered in 2006. In 2014, it was discovered in an expedition that the seamount had erupted, forming 2 new craters on the summit.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.