A global view of the Pacific Ring of Fire, showing the mid-ocean ridge and island arc/trench systems.Click image for larger view.
Submarine Ring of Fire 2003 - Mariana Arc
Part II: Initial Survey of the Mariana Submarine Volcanoes
February 9 – March 5, 2003
An interdisciplinary team of scientists explored the submarine volcanoes of the Mariana Arc lying north of Guam in the western Pacific from February 9 to March 5.
It is here that most of the ocean crust, born along the mid-ocean ridges millions of years ago in the eastern Pacific, is “recycled” back into the Earth’s mantle as the ocean floor descends into the Mariana Trench. A portion of the ocean crust remelts and rises to the surface behind the trench along a line of more than 40 submarine volcanoes and volcanic islands extending north of Guam for more than 1,000 kilometers.
Most submarine volcanoes occur where tectonic plates are either moving apart or colliding. Click image for expanded view of many types of plate boundaries.
The team used the latest sea-floor mapping tools and sensors to image the volcanoes and to detect plumes of heat, gas and metals rising from the hydrothermal systems along the arc.
Although previous investigators have mapped and sampled portions of the Mariana Trench and many of the arc volcanoes during the past several decades, this was the first dedicated exploration of the submarine hydrothermal systems of the arc.
View a 3-dimensional "subduction zone" plate boundary video. (mp4, 1.3 MB)
View a 3-dimensional structure of a "mid-ocean ridge," where two of the Earth's tectonic plates are spreading apart. (mp4, 1.9 MB)
Updates & Logs
Click images or links below for detailed mission logs.
Anatahan Eruption Just 3 months after the completion of the 2003 Submarine Ring of Fire Cruise, Anatahan erupts.
Mission Summary Bob Embley, Prinicipal Investigator, reflects on the findings of the 2003 Submarine Ring of Fire expedition.
Feb 24 Log The Thomas. G. Thompson Explores Maug caldera. View a panorama of the Maug caldera. (mp4, 510 KB)
Feb 22 Log Autonomous Underwater Hydrophones Monitoring of Marianas Arc Submarine Volcanoes and Marine Mammals Watch an animation of the hydrophone in use. (mp4, 2.8 MB)
Feb 18 Log CTD Transect Discovers Intense Hydrothermal Activity at a Mariana Arc Submarine Volcano.
Feb 17 Log MR1 Sonar Provides New View of Sea Floor Around Mariana Islands
Feb 12 Log The team locates the southern Mariana back-arc spreading center, where hydrothermal activity was detected during a CTD tow-yo.
The Ring of Fire Missions
Click images or links below for more information on all Ring of Fire missions.
Magic Mountain Virtual SiteTake a trip to the seafloor! Explore the hydrothermal vents of the Magic Mountain Chimney Fields via a series of interactive computer animations and videos. (Where is Magic Mountain?)
Submarine Ring of Fire 2007(July - August) Scientists return to the Kermadec Arc, to explore in great detail the Brothers submarine volcano. This will mark the most comprehensive exploration of this type of arc volcano and is one of the most vigorous geothermaly active yet discovered.
Submarine Ring of Fire 2006(April - May) Scientists return to explore active submarine volcanoes lying along the Mariana Arc, extending for more than 800 nautical miles.
New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2005(April - May) Join scientist as they explore the active submarine volcanoes along the Kermadec Arc, located north of New Zealand, with a pair of manned submersibles the PISCES IV and V.
Submarine Ring of Fire 2004 - Mariana Arc(March - April) An interdisciplinary team of scientists returned to the submarine volcanoes of the Mariana Arc to explore, utilizing an underwater tethered robot (ROPOS).
Pacific Ring of Fire 2003(February - March) An interdisciplinary team of scientists explored the submarine volcanoes of the Mariana Arc lying north of Guam in the western Pacific.
Submarine Ring of Fire 2002(June - August) An interdisciplinary exploration team used new technology to investigate the birth of new ocean crust off the coast of western North America, part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire."
