Seamount

A seamount is a mountain rising from the seafloor that does not reach to the surface of the ocean. Seamounts are often found in groupings or submerged archipelagos. A classic example is the Emperor Seamounts, which are an extension of the Hawaiian Islands. Formed millions of years ago by volcanism, they have since subsided to below sea level. The long chain of islands and seamounts stretching thousands of kilometres northwest from the Big Island demonstrates the movement of a plate over a volcanic hotspot. Isolated seamounts and those without clear volcanic origins appear to be less common.

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Seamounts often project upwards into shallower zones more hospitable to sea life, providing habitats for marine species that are not found on or around the surrounding deeper ocean bottom. In addition to simply providing physical presence in this zone, the seamount itself may deflect deep currents and create upwelling. This process can bring nutrients into the photosynthetic zone, producing an area of productivity in an otherwise desert-like open ocean. Seamounts may thus be vital stopping points for some migratory animals such as whales.

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Emperor Seamounts: The Emperor Seamounts are a chain of seamounts (submerged volcanic mountains) extending from the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (see Kure and Midway atolls) in a northwesterly direction until approximately 170? east longitude where they trend abruptly northward towards the tip of the Aleutian Islands...

Hawaiian Islands: The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an archipelago of nineteen islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts trending northwest by southeast in the North Pacific Ocean between latitudes 19° N and 29° N. The archipelago takes its name from the...

Volcanism: Volcanism is the phenomena connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It brings magma from the mantle within a planet and rises to the surface as a volcanic eruption. In some cases, rising magma can cool and solidify without reaching the surface of a planet. Instead, the cooled and solidified i...