Pacific's Underwater 'Sharkcano' Erupts, Volcano Throwing Ash and Creatures Above the Ocean Surface

NASA's satellite image revealed that the 'sharkcano' region in the Pacific erupted. The underwater volcano, which had already become a habitat to many aquatic species, suddenly underwent a series of explosions.

NASA Captures Evidence of Sharkcano Eruption

In a survey led by the space agency NASA, experts found that an underwater volcano located in the depths of the Pacific started to demonstrate violent volcanic activity. The lava-filled marine crater was previously dormant, resulting in the place becoming a home to many species of the seas.

This region, dubbed 'sharkcano,' is full of sharks and other aquatic species. According to the reports, the volcanic activity might have spewed not just the smoke and ash from below but also the animals living throughout the crater. People reports that the discharge of the seafloor materials and creatures such as the sharks might have reached the elevation above the water surface and into the atmosphere.

NASA released imaging that has captured the volcanic activity. The shark-infested area is known as the Kavachi Volcano, east of New Guinea and amidst the Pacific's Solomon Islands.

The sharkcano earned the unique title in 2015 when experts discovered abundant populations of not one but two shark species living in the Kavachi crater.

NASA Earth Observatory explained that the vicious swimmers were found thriving on their newfound home filled with acidic and sulfuric surfaces. Among the sharks inhabiting the submarine, volcano craters are the popular hammerheads.

A study from the journal Oceanography, titled "Exploring the 'Sharkcano': Biogeochemical observations of the Kavachi submarine volcano (Solomon Islands)," discussed how the sharkcano and its inhabitants operated.

According to this 2016 research, experts dropped a specialized camera 150 feet down the Pacific and into the Kavachi crater to observe the life contained inside the unusual environment. Records show that the place had sixgill stingrays, bluefin trevally, jellyfish, snappers, and sharks co-existing on the extremes of the surface.

Kavachi Volcano in Pacific's Solomon Islands

The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program said that the submarine volcano became active in October 2021 and showed signs of an eruptive phase that would likely disturb the biodiversity in its crate.

On May 14, NASA released footage showing the discolored waters in the vicinity of the sharkcano. These changes were observed between April and May of this year.

Kavachi's last record eruptions were in 2007 and 2014, respectively. The first-ever documented violent activity from the volcano was in 1939.

The sharkcano can be found 15 miles or about 24 kilometers south of the Vangunu Island, inside the region of the Solomon Sea.

According to the 2016 research, scientists said there are also gelatinous animals and smaller fish in the active crater. The authors explained that the uncommon habitat and the living conditions Kavachi offers to challenge the knowledge we have about extreme environments underwater.

The volcano's summit, according to CNET, is charted approximately 65 feet or 20 meters underneath the Pacific waves.

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