Mata Tolu at about 1,820m depth is one of the shallowest of the Northern Matas.

Mata Tolu at about 1,820m depth is one of the shallowest of the Northern Matas. Image courtesy of Susan Merle OSU, Submarine Ring of Fire 2012 Expedition, NOAA Vents Program. Download larger version (jpg, 3.9 MB).

Inclement Weather
September 16, 2012

Inclement weather prevented the Submarine Ring of Fire NE Lau Basin 2012 Expedition team from diving with the Quest 4000 ROV today on Mata Tolu (number 3 in Tongan), the shallowest of the Northern Matas. A towed camera that passed over Mata Tolu in 2010 revealed some large sulfide chimneys and swarms of shrimp near the summit at about 1820m. The day was spent conducting multibeam mapping and CTDs, catching up on logging entries and some data analyses. Mata Tolu is our next planned exploration dive site, but if the current weather pattern causes more loss of dives, we could be forced to reevaluate dive site priorities.