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USGS · 70193601

Seismicity associated with the May 2010 eruption of South Sarigan Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands

Cheryl Searcy
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Abstract

On 29 May 2010, at approximately 11:48 UTC, an undersea volcano south of Sarigan in the Northern Mariana Islands (Figs. 1 and 2) erupted sending a cloud of volcanic ash and water vapor to 40,000 feet (12 km; Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center). Bathymetric data ( Stern and Smoot, 1998 ; Embley et al. , 2007 ) indicate an undersea vent exists at approximately 16.582° N and 145.821° E or about 12 km southwest of Sarigan and about 30 km northeast of Anatahan (Fig. 3). The vent depth is estimated to be 184 m below sea level. Based on physical observations of water discoloration (Juan Camacho, personal comm., 2010) and satellite imagery, the eruption plume is attributed to this undersea seamount.

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Cheryl Searcy. 2013-10-24. Seismicity associated with the May 2010 eruption of South Sarigan Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220120168

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