Remote Undersea Volcano in Pacific Ocean Might Have Been Erupting Since October

Although it's difficult to confirm, scientists believed that the explosions on the Ahyi Seamount started in the middle of October. The location is about 3,800 miles west of Honolulu.

In the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a volcano is possibly erupting deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, but scientists don't know for sure because it is so inaccessible.

Ahyi Seamount

Considering all evidence, the Ahyi Seamount may have started erupting in the middle of October, the US Geological Survey reported on Monday.

Honolulu is located 3,800 miles to the west of the Northern Marianas.

According to Matt Haney, a research geophysicist with the USGS, scientists are trying to determine whether the activity is due to shallow earthquakes or if something exploded from the crater.

According to him, researchers are looking at satellite data to see if any water is discolored, which might indicate that material is erupting from the volcano.

Haney claimed nothing currently indicates that the eruption will become more intense or larger.

However, mariners are advised to stay away from the area.

Hydroacoustic sensors at Wake Island, 1,400 miles away, detected undersea volcanic activity last month.

Scientists evaluated the signals to determine that the source of the activity was most likely Ahyi Seamount, the USGS stated. They did this with assistance from the Laboratoire de Geophysique in Tahiti and seismic station data in Japan and Guam.

Recently, there has been a decrease in activity, according to the statement.

As per the USGS, the highest point of the Ahyi seamount, a sizable conical submarine volcano, is 259 feet below the ocean's surface. It is about 11 miles southeast of Farallon de Pajaros, also known as Uracas, the island.

The agency said that there aren't any regional monitoring stations close to Ahyi Seamount, making it difficult to identify and classify volcanic unrest there.

The agency will keep a close eye on the satellite, seismic, and remote hydrophonic data that is currently available.

In an NBC News report, it is said that the seamount is a component of the Mariana Volcanic Arc, a chain of over 60 active volcanoes that extends over 600 miles west of the Mariana Trench and parallel to the world's deepest point.

Detected Volcanic Activities

As per the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the latest report on volcanic activity for Ahyi Seamount is dated November 9 to 15 with reported consistent submarine volcanic activity.

Prior to this report, the latest reports were dated April to May 2014, where one explosion and some seismic activities have been tracked.

On April 24, 2014, at 06:35, seismic stations on Pagan, Anatahan, Sarigan, and Saipan started recording signals that were thought to be coming from an undersea volcanic source.

Although the vent might have been found at either of the volcanic seamounts in the region, hydroacoustic sensors on Wake Island implied that the source was at or close to the Ahyi seamount.

Divers working for the NOAA reported hearing loud explosions and experiencing shock waves while studying the coral reefs at Farallon de Pajaros.

The crew heard a loud explosion that echoed through the ship's hull, one of the more powerful ones. The Color Code was changed from Unassigned to Yellow on April 27, 2014.

Seismic activity was still high on April 30, 2014, according to a report released at 05:36.