Abstract:
Vailulu’u seamount is an active underwater
volcano that marks the end of
the Samoan hotspot trail (Hart et al.,
2000). Vailulu’u has a simple conical
morphology (Figure 1) with a largely
enclosed volcanic crater at relatively
shallow water depths, ranging from
590 m (highest point on the crater rim)
to 1050 m (crater floor). The crater
hosts a 300-m-high central volcanic
cone, Nafanua, that was formed between
2001 and 2004. Seismic activity at
Vailulu’u included a series of globally
recorded magnitude 4.1–4.9 earthquakes
in 1973 and 1995, and substantial
volcano-tectonic activity recorded over
45 days in 2000, with an average of four
earthquakes per day and a maximum
of 40 per day (Konter et al., 2004).
Hypocenter locations are located directly
below the major hydrothermal vent areas
(Staudigel et al., 2006).
