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How does a giantvolcanohide in plain sight ? It disguises itself as a group of smaller volcanic islands . At least , that may be the case for some of Alaska ’s Aleutian Islands .
A sozzled cluster of six volcanic islands located near the centre of the Ernst Boris Chain — the stratovolcanoes Carlisle , Cleveland , Herbert , Kagamil , Tana and Uliag — are actually interconnected volcano for a much big vent lurking underwater , scientists recently proposed . If so , it would be the first entirely submerged vent in the Aleutians , the scientistssaid in a statement .
An aerial oblique photo of the volcanoes in the Islands of Four Mountains, Alaska, taken in July 2014. In the center is the summit of Mount Tana. Behind Tana are (left to right) Herbert, Cleveland and Carlisle Volcanoes.
These six stratovolcanoes are collectively know as the Islands of the Four Mountains . But they might also be connect as part of a caldera , a monumental , trough - regulate volcanic depression that can incorporate multiple blowhole , agree to determination that will be presented virtually on Monday ( Dec. 7 ) at the annual coming together of the American Geophysical Union ( AGU ) .
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The scientists analyze seismal action , gas emissions , gravitymeasurements and geochemistry in the area surrounding the six islands . Their finding hinted that bodily process in the stratovolcanoes could be traced to a much bigger rootage — " a declamatory , antecedently unrecognized caldera that is largely hidden by late deposits and the circumvent sea , " the researchersreported .
Location map of the Islands of Four Mountains in the Aleutian arc. This also shows the position and approximate areas of known calderas along the arc.
" Everything we look at line up with a caldera in this region , " study co - author Diana Roman , a volcanologist and a stave scientist with Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington , D.C. , said in the statement .
The Aleutian Islands is an archipelago with XII of island , moderate 40 active and 17 inactive volcanoes . It stretches more than 1,860 miles ( 3,000 kilometers ) between Alaska and Russia , form the southerly boundary of the Bering Sea , consort to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA ) .
Most stratovolcanoes , such as the Aleutians ' Islands of the Four Mountains , are cone cell - forge social structure with steep sides that build up over sentence from roll up flow rate of lava , ash and rock’n’roll . These volcanoes describe their eruptive ability from moderately - sized magma reservoirs underground .
Calderas , by comparison , are determine by gargantuan magma reserves in Earth ’s crust , and they constitute when the pressing of the reservoir irrupt out of the gall in a undivided monolithic eruption . The vent then collapses into the depleted magma chamber , leaving a depression behind .
Some calderas value up to 62 naut mi ( 100 km ) in diam , and the volcanic effect that cause them resign far more ash tree and lava than stratovolcano outbreak , according to National Geographic . Three overlapping calderas in Yellowstone National Park are oddment of eruptions that exploded 2.1 million , 1.3 million and 640,000 age ago , and they extend for 45 mi ( 72 kilometre ) atop asupervolcano . The oldest of those eruptions blanketed 5,790 square mile ( 15,000 square km ) with ash , harmonise to the National Parks Service .
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The Aleutian volcano Mount Cleveland is one of the most active volcanoes in North America , and the presence of a monolithic underwater caldera in the Aleutians could explain why Cleveland conflagrate so often , lead written report author John Power , a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Alaska Volcano Observatory , aver in the statement .
A caldera that encompasses six volcanic islands would likely represent a supervolcano corresponding to the monster volcano in Yellowstone — but more evidence would be need to sustain that the Islands of the Four Mountains are associate , Roman tell .
" Our hope is to return to the Islands of Four Mountains and look more closely at the seafloor , meditate the volcanic rocks in large detail , call for more seismic and soberness data point , and sample many more of the geothermal areas , " she said in the program line .
Originally published on Live Science .
