Tuzo Wilson Seamounts
| Tuzo Wilson Seamounts | |
|---|---|
Kodiak-Bowie Seamount chain | |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Last eruption | Holocene (active)[1] |
The Tuzo Wilson Seamounts, also called J. Tuzo Wilson Knolls and Tuzo Wilson Knolls, are two young activeKodiak-Bowie Seamount chain, rising 500 m (1,640 ft) to 700 m (2,297 ft)[2] above the mean level of the northeastern Pacific Ocean and is a seismically active site southwest of the southern end of the Queen Charlotte Fault. They are named after Canadian geologist John Tuzo Wilson.[3]
Geology
The two submarine volcanoes are capped by hawaiite and are surrounded by numerous smaller vents, with a total edifice volume of about 12 km3.[2]
The
silica content (the lava is mafic) that is usually fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava. Glassy pillow lava is found at the seamounts, a type of rock typically formed when basaltic lava emerges from a submarine volcanic vent
. The viscous lava gains a solid crust on contact with the water, and this crust cracks and oozes additional large blobs or "pillows" as more lava emerges from the advancing flow.
The origin of the Tuzo Wilson Seamounts is not without controversy. Some
Kodiak-Bowie Seamount chain. There is a 360 km (224 mi) long gap between recently (Late Pleistocene to Holocene) active Bowie and Tuzo Wilson Seamounts, both of which have erupted alkaline basalts of similar composition. If a mantle plume was responsible for activity at both seamounts, then it is likely that there would be evidence for alkaline volcanic activity in the area between these two seamounts.[1]
See also
- Geology of the Pacific Northwest
- List of volcanoes in Canada
- Volcanology of Canada
- Volcanology of Western Canada
References
- ^ a b c d A near-ridge origin for seamounts at the southern terminus of the Pratt-Welker Seamount Chain, northeast Pacific Ocean Retrieved on 2008-03-07
- ^ .
- ^ a b J. Tuzo Wilson Knolls: Canadian hotspot Retrieved on 2007-08-13
- ^ Origin of Igneous Rocks: The Isotopic Evidence Retrieved on 2008-03-08