The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program has recognized Kavachi Volcano in the Solomon Islands as one of the most active submarine volcanoes in the Pacific. Itentered an eruptive phase in October 2021 and satellite data from NASA showed discolored water around Kavachi on several days in April and May 2022. NASA’s Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on Landsat 9 captured this eruption on May 14, 2022, with a plume of discolored water being spewed from the underwater volcano.
Researchers have determined that the superheated plumes of acidic water usually contain particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments, and sulfur. However, the most interesting things they discovered happened during a scientific expedition to the volcano, where they found two species of sharks, including hammerheads, living in the submerged crater, thus earning it the nickname of ‘Sharkcano’. One thing you can’t do here is use the volcano to cook pizza.
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Prior to this recent activity, large eruptions were observed at Kavachi in 2014 and 2007. The volcano erupts nearly continuously, and residents of nearby inhabited islands often report visible steam and ash. The island is named for a sea god of the Gatokae and Vangunu peoples, and it is sometimes also referred to as Rejo te Kvachi, or ‘Kavachi’s Oven’,” said NASA.
