Brothers Volcano: Looking into Brothers caldera from the south. The smooth cone (left foreground) is the site of recent volcanic eruptions and has ongoing hyrdrothermal venting from its summit crater. The smaller cone to the right is probably older but still has an intense hydrothermal system at its summit. The rougher, eroded topography of the of the caldera wall are older, pre-caldera lavas and other volcanic rocks that have undergone submarine slope failure at least partly due to undermining by hydrothermal “weathering”. Click image for larger view and image credit.
NZASRoF'07 Science Party Explorers (left to right):
1 st row: Sharon Walker, Susan Merle
2 nd row: Dana Yoerger, Alan Duester, Edward T. Baker, Kevin Faure
3 rd row: Michael Hacking, Bob Embley, Matt Leybourne, Bryan W. Davy, Joseph Resing
4 th row: Andrew Billings, Ron Greene, Cornel E.J. de Ronde
Click image for larger view and image credit.
The Final Map
August 16, 2007
Bob Embley
Chief Scientist
New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2007 Expedition
Geophysicist
NOAA Vents Program, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory – Newport, Oregon
Read the NZASRoF'07 Final Cruise Report (4.7 Mb, PDF)
Take a Virtual Tour of ABEís High Resolution Bathymetry, Collected at Brothers Submarine Volcano! (Quicktime, 1 Mb.)
The 2007 New Zealand American Ring of Fire exploration expedition has been an outstanding success for all partners. Last night Dana Yoerger (the ABE Team Leader) brought down the final map of the caldera of Brothers volcano and we just sat there in silence for a few seconds staring at it, knowing that we were probably the first to see a submarine volcanic caldera as it really "is". Flying into the volcano, you pass over the two cones, the large smooth-sided cone with its small crater that is the site of most of the recent volcanic activity, and the smaller cone to the right that is partially eroded, but still has intense hydrothermal activity at its summit. As you approach the wall of the caldera, the rugged topography created by the degradation of the rocks from older eruptions is apparent. The comprehensive, co-located topographic, magnetic and water column mapping of Brothers Volcano is a new tool to explore this “type” submarine volcano in greater detail than ever before.
The ABE Team of Dana Yoerger, Al Duester and Andy Billings performed magnificently and our success is a testament not only to their professional expertise, but also to their enthusiasm and dedication to ocean exploration. Our German partners (GEOMAR) are also very pleased with the successful testing of their new Quest 6000 remotely operated vehicle. Colin Devey, the Chief Scientist, and Thomas Kuhn, the ROV Team Leader, have done a great job organizing and keeping the sea-going program on track. Finally, we thank the personnel of the R/V Sonne for their outstanding professionalism in making this expedition a success.
