I don’t know if you have heard about this, but recently there was an underwater volcano that erupted nearby Japan on August 13th. Even though the volcano is underwater, it works just the same as volcanoes on dry land. The process of volcanoes erupting is called subduction. As cool as volcanoes being underwater sounds, it has been quite the problem for Japan. When the volcano erupts, it forms these stones with air pockets in them that float above the surface of the ocean. These stones are called pumice, and they are very abrasive. Many have washed up on Japan’s coastline in the Okinawa Prefecture.
Pumice is actually very common after an underwater volcanic eruption. Large amounts of it are formed and it's very cool to look at. If you look up a video, it would look like the beach is moving along with the waves of the ocean, but the damages that it causes are not something you would look forward to. Because of their abrasiveness along with the movement of the ocean, it will cause damage to boats and any structure that is at the surface of the water. Disrupting fishing vessels, damaging piers, and more. Which one would expect since it is technically a form of rock, but floats.
Pumice will usually float to a coastline of some sort and become part of the coast that it lands on, but if it doesn’t, then it can possibly just float around wandering the ocean for months or maybe years before it can be broken down or eventually sink. It’s quite an interesting topic to research if you are into marine biology and such. I’m surprised that there haven’t been many preventative technologies to stop pumice from damaging boats and other things. Or a way to collect it from the ocean so the situation can be resolved quickly. Either way, it is quite interesting how much one underwater volcanic eruption can do.
https://www.newsweek.com/underwater-volcano-pumice-japan-waves-1643498
Selena Yim (6)
I saw this story! It was crazy to see how much pumice was washing up on beaches around Japan. Living so close to an active fault line in our crust can lead to a lot more fatal outcomes than pumice on the shores, though. Glad there were no strong earthquakes or large waves with these underwater eruptions.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, for sure. If there was another natural disaster with the pumice floating about on the water, for example, a tsunami. It would probably be like raining bullets along with the huge wave
DeleteHi Selena, I did not hear about this story. I would have thought that being underwater, volcanoes would erupt differently than on land. I guess not! I looked up a video of pumice on the beach and I agree with you that it looks like the beach is moving with the waves. Very cool.
ReplyDelete-Kristina Baldeo
Hey Kristina,
Deleteyeah, I thought the volcanoes would erupt differently as well. But I guess not, considering that they are underwater, there isn't much of a difference besides the larger amount of pumice that is produced
Hi Selena, I found it very interesting that even though volcanoes can erupt underwater, they can still affect life at the surface. I also found it very interesting that pumice can still float considering that it's a rock
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see that underwater volcanoes erupt the same as volcanoes on land. Also it was interesting that pumice is considered a rock despite being able to float.
- Tugba Kahveci