Mariana Back-Arc Segment at 15.5°N
About Mariana Back-Arc Segment at 15.5°N
The Mariana back-arc spreading segment centered at 15.5°N is part of a line of recently surveyed segments with anomalous hydrothermal plumes. The line parallels the Mariana Islands (about 100 km E) and the Mariana Trench (~300 km E). A series of very recently erupted lava flows were discovered in late 2015 along this back-arc zone about 130 km WNW of Saipan. Flows near 15.4°N were not present at the time of a February 2013 bathymetric survey. Large hydrothermal plumes and intense chemical anomalies in the ocean overlie the area. The sediment-free pillow lavas have a dark glassy crust at water depths of between 4,100 and 4,450 m, believed to be the deepest reported eruption known, and the first to be found along a slow-spreading ridge.
Eruption reports
Reports from GDACS and NASA EONET linked to this volcano.
No eruption reports in our records yet. New reports appear here automatically.
Earthquakes nearby, 30 days
Within about 50 km. Swarms of small quakes can sometimes accompany volcanic unrest.
No earthquakes recorded nearby in the last 30 days.