Coring/logging data and physical property measurements from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 are integrated with, and correlated to, reflection seismic data to map seismic sequence boundaries and facies of the central basin and neighboring regions of the South China Sea. First-order sequence boundaries are interpreted, which are Oligocene/Miocene, middle...
Combined analyses of deep tow magnetic anomalies and International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 cores show that initial seafloor spreading started around 33 Ma in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS), but varied slightly by 1-2 Myr along the northern continent-ocean boundary (COB). A southward ridge jump of ∼20 km...
Estimates of the relative motion between the Hawaiian and Louisville hot spots have consequences
for understanding the role and character of deep Pacific-mantle return flow. The relative motion between
these primary hot spots can be inferred by comparing the age records for their seamount trails. We report
⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages for...
The volcanic origin of the Samoan archipelago can be explained by one of three models, specifically, by a hot spot forming over a mantle plume, by lithospheric extension resulting from complex subduction tectonics in the region, or by a combination of these two processes, either acting sequentially or synchronously. In...
Submersible exploration of the Samoan hotspot revealed a new, 300-m-tall, volcanic cone, named Nafanua, in the summit crater of Vailulu’u seamount. Nafanua grew from the 1,000-m-deep crater floor in <4 years and could reach the sea surface within decades. Vents fill Vailulu’u crater with a thick suspension of particulates and...
The Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of five Cretaceous guyots (Limalok, Lo-En, Wodejebato, MIT, and Takuyo-Daisan) within the West Pacific Seamount Province (WPSP) indicate that they originated from geochemically enriched mantle sources. They are characterized by large isotopic variations in Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.58-19.80, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.55-15.68, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb...
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...
Seamounts are windows into the deep Earth that are helping to
elucidate various deep Earth processes. For example, thermal and mechanical
properties of oceanic lithosphere can be determined from the flexing of oceanic
crust caused by the growth of seamounts on top of it. Seamount trails also are
excellent recorders...
Seamount research, more often than not,
is carried out by highly specialized science
teams with narrowly focused science objectives.
As a result, different seamount science
disciplines often do not collaborate or are
not even aware of each other. However, it is
obvious that interdisciplinary collaboration
is the most successful approach...
Vailulu'u Seamount is identified as an active volcano marking the current location of the Samoan hotspot. This seamount is located 45 km east of Ta'u Island, Samoa, at 169°03.5′W, 14°12.9′S. Vailulu'u defines the easternmost edge of the Samoan Swell, rising from the 5000‐m ocean floor to a summit depth of...