Vailulu'u
| Vailulu'u | |
|---|---|
Location of American Samoa
|
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| Summit depth | 590 metres (1,940 ft) |
| Height | 4,200 m (13,800 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | South Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 14°12′54″S 169°3′30″W / 14.21500°S 169.05833°WCoordinates: 14°12′54″S 169°3′30″W / 14.21500°S 169.05833°W |
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| Discovery date | 1975 |
Vailulu'u is a volcanic seamount discovered by geophysicist Rockne Johnson in the Samoa Islands on October 18, 1975. The finding of an active, undersea, hotspot volcano is significant for scientists studying the Earth's fundamental processes.
In size and appearance, Vaululu'u resembles Mount Fuji and ranges more than 33 km across the ocean floor at its base. It rises 4200 m from the sea floor to a depth of 590 m. It is located roughly one-third of the way between Ta'u and Rose islands at the eastern end of the Samoa hotspot chain. The hotspot chain includes American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa and extends west to the islands of Uvea or Wallis Island (Wallis and Futuna) and Niulakita (Tuvalu).
The basaltic seamount is considered to mark the current location of the Samoa hotspot. The summit of Vailulu'u contains a 2 km wide, 400 m deep oval-shaped caldera. Two principal rift zones extend east and west from the summit, parallel to the trend of the Samoan hotspot. A third less prominent rift extends southeast of the summit.
The rift zones and escarpments produced by mass wasting phenomena give the sea mount a star-shaped pattern. On July 10, 1973, explosions from Vailulu'u were recorded by SOFAR (hydrophone records of underwater acoustic signals). An earthquake swarm in 1995 may have been related to an eruption from the seamount. Turbid water above the summit shows evidence of ongoing hydrothermal plume activity.
Evidence released in 2006 suggests that Vailulu'u may breach the surface of the ocean and officially become an island during this century.
The name Vailulu'u comes from a Samoan story related to the sacred sprinkling of rain associated with gatherings for the Tui Manu'a paramount chiefs of Manu'a Island. The name came from an American Samoa student Taulealo Vaofusi, the winner of a naming competition.
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