Scalloped hammerhead shark swimming in volcanic waters around Kavachi Volcano (Credit: The Oceanography Society)
A NASA satellite has captured the moment a massive submarine volcano erupted in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
This particular volcano, Kavachi Volcano, is known to scientists after an oceanic study that took place there in 2015.
Researchers found that fish and sharks inhabit the overheated acidic waters infused with sulfur around the volcano.
The water contains fragments of volcanic rock and it is believed that sharks may have mutated to help them cope with extreme conditions.
“Populations of gelatinous animals, small fish and sharks were observed within the active crater, which raised new questions about the ecology of active underwater volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals may exist,” the scientists wrote. in that moment.
The eruption of the Kavachi submarine volcano seen from space (Credit: Nasa)
“Microbial samples collected from the summit indicate chemosynthetic populations dominated by sulfur-reducing ε-proteobacteria.”
Two types of sharks, the silky and scalloped hammer, were filmed swimming near the volcano during a research visit.
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In recent years, scientists have been investigating the creatures that live around and within the massive volcano, the base of which extends 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) to the bottom of the ocean.
Even Kavachi has been nicknamed “Sharkcano” because of the people who live in its harsh conditions.
NASA captured the recent eruption using Operational Land Imager, a powerful scanning telescope aboard the orbiting Landsat 8 satellite.
He is able to take detailed pictures of the land and the sea from space.
Full-size image of the eruption captured by NASA satellite (Credits: Nasa)
NASA’s image shows a large plume of discolored water emanating from the submerged volcano. According to the space agency, it lasted several days between April and May 2022.
The submarine eruption captured by a NASA satellite lasted several days (Credit: Nasa)
“Prior to this recent activity, large eruptions were observed in Kavachi in 2014 and 2007,” NASA said in a statement.
“The volcano erupts almost continuously, and residents of nearby inhabited islands often report visible steam and ash.
‘The island is named after a sea god from the villages of Gatokae and Vangunu.
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