Geologic Background:
Vailulu'u Seamount is located 45 km east of Ta'u
island, the easternost island of the Somoan chain, and
defines the leading edge of the Somoan swell. Vailulu'u
rises from an ocean depth of 4,800 m to its crater rim
within 590 m of the sea surface, with a total volume of
about 1,050 cubic kilometers. The summit includes a
400-m-deep, 2-km-wide crater. The overall shape of
ailulu'u is dominated by two rift zones extending E and W
from the summit. A third, slightly less well-developed
rift extends SE from the summit.
Historic Activity:
- There was a series of acoustically detected
explosions on July 10, 1973.
Recent Activity:
- During Jan 9-29, 1995 the global seismic network
recorded a strong (M 4.2-4.9) earthquake swarm in the
vicinity.
Data Sources
- GVNB Bulletin (V. 20, No. 6)
|