Deep-sea volcanoes air volatile side

Katherine Gombay-McGill — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:02:24 +0000

MCGILL (CAN) — Deep-sea volcanoes do more than gush magma flow—in some cases high concentrations of CO2 cause massive underwater explosions.

Between 75 and 80 percent of all volcanic activity on Earth takes place at deep-sea, mid-ocean ridges. Most produce effusive lava flows rather than explosive eruptions, both because the levels of magmatic gas tends to be low, and because the volcanoes are under a lot of pressure from the surrounding water.

Seafloor dynamics at work splitting continent

Jonathan Sherwood-Rochester — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:12:46 +0000

Reconstruction of events showed that the rift did not open in a series of small earthquakes over an extended period of time, but tore open along its entire 35-mile length in just days. A volcano called Dabbahu at the northern end of the rift erupted first, then magma pushed up through the middle of the rift area and began “unzipping” the rift in both directions, says Cindy Ebinger.

U. ROCHESTER (US)—In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial.

Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world’s oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.

Futurity.org » magma

Deep-sea volcanoes air volatile side

Seafloor dynamics at work splitting continent