Patton Seamount

Patton Seamount
3-dimensional bathymetric mapping, made during the 1999 expedition.
Summit depth	600 ft (183 m)
Height	10,000 ft (3,048 m)
Location
Coordinates	54°34.80′N 150°26.40′W / 54.58000°N 150.44000°W / 54.58000; -150.44000Coordinates: 54°34.80′N 150°26.40′W / 54.58000°N 150.44000°W / 54.58000; -150.44000
Geology
Type	Seamount (underwater volcano)
Volcanic arc/chain	Cobb-Eickelberg Seamount chain
Age of rock	33 million years

Patton Seamount is a prominent seamount (underwater volcano) in the Cobb-Eickelberg Seamount chain in the Gulf of Alaska. Located 166 nmi (307 km) east of Kodiak Island and reaching to within 600 ft (180 m) of the ocean surface, Patton is one of the largest seamounts in the Cobb-Eickelberg Seamount chain. It was originally created near the coast of Oregon by the Cobb hotspot 33 million years ago, and was moved to its present location by tectonic plate movement. Patton is one of the most well-understood seamounts, as a major expedition using DSV Alvin in 1999 and another in 2002 helped define the scope of the seamount's biological community. Like other large seamounts, Patton acts as an ecological hub for sea life. Dives have revealed that the volcano is heavily encrusted in sea life of various forms, including sea stars, corals, king crabs, demersal rockfish, and other species.

Patton Seamount was created by the Cobb hotspot, and it lies in the Cobb-Eickelberg Seamount chain. The Cobb chain is unusual in that it is not one individual volcanic chain, but a mosaic of many, created by several hotspots that now lie along the western coast of North America. Patton Seamount lies near the northwestern edge of the chain, in the Gulf of Alaska, and is 33 million years of age, among the oldest in the group. The part of the chain that Patton Seamount lies in is known variably as either the "Gulf of Alaska Seamounts" or the "Patton Seamounts." The Gulf seamounts are the best-known and most heavily studied features in the chain.