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Country: | United States | |
| Subregion Name: | Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Volcano Number: | 1302-00- | ||
| Volcano Type: | Submarine volcano | ||
| Volcano Status: | Historical | ||
| Last Known Eruption: | 1996 | ||
| Summit Elevation: | -975 m | - 3,199 feet | |
| Latitude: | 18.92°N | 18°55'0"N | |
| Longitude: | 155.27°W | 155°16'0"W | |
| Loihi seamount, the youngest volcano of the Hawaiian chain, lies about 35 km off the SE coast of the island of Hawaii. Loihi (which is the Hawaiian word for "long") has an elongated morphology dominated by two curving rift zones extending north and south of the summit. The summit region contains a caldera about 3 x 4 km wide and is dotted with numerous lava cones, the highest of which is about 975 m below the sea surface. The summit platform includes two well-defined pit craters, sediment-free glassy lava, and low-temperature hydrothermal venting. An arcuate chain of small cones on the western edge of the summit extends north and south of the pit craters and merges into the crests of Loihi's prominent rift zones. Deep and shallow seismicity indicate a magmatic plumbing system distinct from that of Kilauea volcano. During 1996, a new pit crater was formed at the summit of the volcano, and lava flows were erupted. Continued volcanism is expected to eventually build a new island at Loihi; time estimates for the summit to reach the sea surface range from roughly 10,000 to 100,000 years. | |||
