Sea Surprise Mt. Erebus is not the only odd volcano. Scientists have found others in the sea near Antarctica. Until a few years ago, no one knew they were there. T en scientists began making a map of the seafloor. T ey crisscrossed the area in a boat. T ey took images of the seafloor. T e images surprised the scientists.


T ey showed a line of giant volcanoes rising from the seafloor. Some were really tall. T eir tops nearly touched the surface of the sea. T is discovery worried many of the


scientists. T ey knew that with new eruptions, the volcanoes will grow. In time, the volcanoes may grow enough to poke out of the sea. Boats could run right into the volcano tops.


Deep Slide T ese sea volcanoes formed on the edge of two of Earth’s plates. Long ago, these plates slammed together. T e edge of one plate slid under the other one. It slid down toward the mantle. As the plate went deeper, it got hotter. It began to melt and turn into


magma. Magma is lighter than rock. So the magma began to rise through cracks in the seafloor. It formed the volcanoes on the bottom of the sea. Hot gases still bubble through the


cracks. Toxic chemicals still spurt into the water. Some critters don’t mind the heat. Some kinds of crabs and snails live here. Yet for you, getting close could be dangerous. Maybe it’s time for you to visit another volcano.


Volcano Hall of Fame


Tallest: Mauna Loa is the tallest active volcano in the world. It’s in Hawaii.


Longest eruption: Stromboli has erupted for 2,000 years. It’s in Italy.


Biggest eruption ever recorded: Tambora erupted in 1815. It’s in Indonesia.


Stromboli erupts. 20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


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