Study maps 466 submarine volcanoes in Southeast Asia and surrounding regions

A new SEATANI dataset made by Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) compiles 466 seamounts from Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, assessing hazard and exposure potential on a regional level for future studies.

• The study was spurred by the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption, which illustrated the devastation that underwater volcanoes may cause. Researchers wanted to determine the potential threats that these undersea volcanoes could cause to Singapore and the surrounding area.
• A comprehensive dataset of 466 seamounts in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was compiled, providing a foundational resource for assessing seamount hazards and guiding future quantitative studies.
• Taiwan was identified as having the highest hazard and exposure potential among the studied regions, significantly affecting assets like communication cables and ship traffic.

The authors used a regional approach rather than only looking at specific seamounts to assess the combined hazard of all seamounts on Southeast Asian countries and compiled a list of over 450 submarine volcanoes in the waters of Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

“We used published datasets of global undersea volcanoes and bathymetry data, which reveal the topography of seafloors and characteristics of the volcanoes, and we classified these volcanoes to understand how hazardous they could be.”

The results show that there are several potentially hazardous seamounts in this region. Taiwan has the highest hazard and exposure potential, for all assets considered, while the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam have relatively high exposure potential for submarine communication cables and ship traffic density.

“Singapore can be affected too because these cables are thousands of kilometers long, and Singapore has some of the main subsea cables and landing sites in Southeast Asia,” said Dr Andrea Verolino, lead author and a research fellow at NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).

In the northern South China Sea, a particularly worrying volcano called KW-23612 was identified. This dormant volcano has a 7 km (4.3 miles) wide caldera, a clear sign of a previous catastrophic eruption and the potential for future explosive activity.

The caldera of KW-23612 is twice as big as the Tonga Volcano and Mount Pinatubo and is particularly important because of its vicinity to the sea surface, residing only 200 m (650 feet). According to simulations performed by Dr. Andrea Verolino, a research fellow at NTU’s EOS, an eruption from the volcano will cause tsunami waves to flood the beaches of Singapore. Although the waves will only be a few centimeters high, they can significantly affect boat traffic, beach areas, and even coastal flooding.

The investigation into hidden volcanoes was sparked by recent events, particularly the South Pacific Ocean eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022. The eruption, which was calculated to be a hundred times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, caused significant tsunamis in countries as far away as Japan, Peru, and Russia.

The experience inspired Dr. Verolino and his team to investigate the potential consequences of similar underwater volcanic eruptions in Southeast Asia.

The research findings also raised awareness of the need for proactive monitoring and preparedness.

While no specific eruptions are foreseen in the near or distant future right now, the study shows the need for further exploration and assessment of these submerged volcanoes. Dr Verolino underlined the importance of understanding and mitigating the possible risks posed by these hidden giants, particularly those on the Sunda Shelf, which is closer to Singapore.

With 466 volcanoes discovered in the study, the researchers plan to prioritize those that require further investigation. This proactive approach aims to assist the area in better preparing for prospective natural disasters, ensuring that countries such as Singapore remain robust in the face of growing geological hazards.

This work serves as a first step towards Southeast Asia and neighboring countries becoming more resilient against and prepared for submarine volcanic eruptions in the region.

References:

¹ SEATANI: hazards from seamounts in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (eastern India) – Andrea Verolino et al. – EGU Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences – 2024 – https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-1203-2024

² Over 450 new submarine volcanoes at the doorstep of Singapore. Could any of them be a threat? – Earth Observatory of Singapore – July 29, 2024

Harsha Borah

Harsha Borah is an experienced content writer with a proven track record in the industry. Harsha has worked with LitSpark Solutions and Whateveryourdose, honing skills in creating engaging content across various platforms. A gold medalist in a state-level writing competition organized by Assam Tourism, Harsha’s travelogue on Tezpur was widely appreciated. Harsha’s article, "The Dark Tale of the Only Judge in India to Be Hanged," ranks second on Google and has garnered over 11 000 views and 8 900 reads on Medium. Outside of writing, Harsha enjoys reading books and solving jigsaw puzzles.

This author does not have any more posts.