Tafu-Maka volcano
Updated: May 31, 2023 23:19 GMT -
Submarine volcano -1400 m / - 4,593 ft
Tonga, Tonga Islands, -15.37°S / -174.23°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Tonga, Tonga Islands, -15.37°S / -174.23°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
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Tafu-Maka volcano eruptions: 2008
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Two submarine volcanoes, Tafu and Maka, lie along a NE-SW-trending ridge segment on the southern part of the NE Lau Spreading Center (NELSC). The NELSC is a back-arc spreading center in the northeast part of the Lau Basin. Tafu (Tongan for "source of fire") rises to about 1400 m below sea level at the NE end of the ridge segment, and Maka (Tongan for "rock") reaches 1560 m below sea level at the SW end of the ridge segment. A November 2008 NOAA Vents Program expedition discovered submarine hydrothermal plumes consistent with very recent (days to weeks?) submarine lava effusion from Maka volcano. A return visit in May 2009 documented the freshly emplaced lava flow at Maka.---
Smithsonian / GVP volcano information
See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS