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New Zealand · Stratovolcano

Monowai Seamount

Monowai

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
132m (submarine)
Last eruption
2014
Monowai Seamount
Photo: Oregon State University · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
New Zealand
Region
Tonga & Kermadec / Northern Kermadec Volcanic Arc
Elevation
132m (submarine)
Coordinates
-25.887, -177.188
Last eruption
2014
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Monowai, also known as Orion seamount, is a basaltic stratovolcano that rises from a depth of about 1,500 to within 100 m of the ocean surface about halfway between the Kermadec and Tonga island groups, at the southern end of the Tonga Ridge. Small cones occur on the N and W flanks, and an 8.5 x 11 km submarine caldera with a depth of more than 1,500 m lies to the NNE. Numerous eruptions have been identified using submarine acoustic signals since it was first recognized as a volcano in 1977. A shoal that had been reported in 1944 may have been a pumice raft or water disturbance due to degassing. Surface observations have included water discoloration, vigorous gas bubbling, and areas of upwelling water, sometimes accompanied by rumbling noises. It was named for one of the New Zealand Navy bathymetric survey ships that documented its morphology.

Eruption history

27 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
1944~1951 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01973~1980 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 11980~1987 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 01987~1994 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 01994~2002 · 5 eruptions · max VEI 02002~2009 · 6 eruptions · max VEI 02009~2016 · 6 eruptions · max VEI 119441958198019942009

Detailed timeline

  1. 2016VEI 0Method not stated
    2016-11-11 – 2016-11-12
  2. 2014VEI 1Observed
    2014-01-01 – 2014-01-01
    Summit
  3. 2014VEI 0Observed
    2014-10-16 – 2014-11-05
    Submarine
  4. 2012VEI 0Observed
    2012-08-03 – 2012-08-19
    Submarine
  5. 2011VEI 0Observed
    2011-05-17 – 2011-05-22
    Summit Crater
  6. 2009VEI 0Observed
    2009-05-04 – 2009-12-16
  7. 2008VEI 0Observed
    2008-02-08 – 2008-02-08
  8. 2006VEI 0Observed
    2006-12-12 – 2007-11-04
  9. 2005VEI 0Observed
    2005-03-02 – 2006-06-27
  10. 2003VEI 0Observed
    2003-04-10 – 2004-09-16
  11. 2002VEI 0Observed
    2002-05-24 – 2002-05-24
  12. 2002VEI 0Observed
    2002-11-01 – 2002-11-24
  13. 1999VEI 0Observed
    1999-06-06 – 1999-06-11
  14. 1997VEI 0Observed
    1997-04-18 – 1997-04-21
  15. 1997VEI 0Observed
    1997-12-15 – 1998-02-04
  16. 1996VEI 0Observed
    1996-09-20 – 1996-09-22
  17. 1995VEI 0Observed
    1995-11-27 – 1995-11-30
  18. 1990VEI 0Observed
    1990-05-30 – 1991-03-25
  19. 1988VEI 0Observed
    1988-09-08 – 1988-09-08
  20. 1986VEI 0Observed
    1986-06-16 – 1986-06-16
  21. 1982VEI 0Observed
    1982-05-16 – 1982-05-16
  22. 1980VEI 0Observed
    1980-01-16 – 1980-01-16
  23. 1979VEI 1Observed
    1979-02-16 – 1979-04-19
  24. 1978VEI 0Observed
    1978-02-16 – 1978-07-16
  25. 1977VEI 0Observed
    1977-04-16 – 1977-04-16
  26. 1977VEI 0Observed
    1977-10-17 – 1977-10-27
  27. 1944VEI 0Method not stated
    1944-07-02 – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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