NASA Satellites Capture 16-Km Bismarck Sea Eruption as Missing Seafloor Maps Hinder Analysis
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 26
NASA Satellites Capture 16-Km Bismarck Sea Eruption as Missing Seafloor Maps Hinder Analysis
4 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 26
Early May satellite images captured an underwater eruption in the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea, but volcanologists still cannot pinpoint exactly which seafloor feature erupted.
No high-resolution baseline maps exist for the area, leaving scientists unable to measure how the blast reshaped the seabed or how large the volcanic structure is.
NASA and other satellite data still revealed a miles-high ash plume, ocean discoloration, pumice rafts and repeated thermal anomalies, pointing to a relatively shallow vent despite bathymetry showing depths of several hundred meters.
Current theories place the eruption along Titan Ridge, about 10 miles southeast of a 1972 submarine eruption site, and researchers are now watching for a possible new island.
That outcome remains uncertain because nearby eruptions have lasted anywhere from 4 days to nearly 4 years, underscoring how little of the deep seafloor has been mapped compared with the moon.
Could a new volcanic island in the Pacific reveal how to build colonies on the Moon and Mars?
We have mapped Mars, so why does 75% of our own ocean floor remain a complete mystery?