Superheated, acidic water
surrounds an underwater volcano dubbed "sharkcano" in fresh imagery from the Landsat 9 satellite.
Discolored water is
visible from space in the zone around Kavachi Volcano in the Solomon Islands, a Pacific island nation east of Papua New Guinea
Its unusual moniker, "sharkcano,"
is a nod to the Solomon Islands' two species of sharks, according to(opens in new tab) NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Kavachi is amid a tectonically
active region, and nearby a subduction zone about 18 miles (30 kilometers) to the southwest, NASA's Earth Observatory said(opens in new tab) on May 14.
The volcano's lavas can
range from basaltic (magnesium and iron rich) to the more silica-rich andesitic. Yet there is a lot of life present even amid the harsh conditions.
The volcano has been in
nearly continuous eruption since its first recorded activity in 1939 and is known for creating temporary islands of debris that get washed away by the ocean.