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December 30, 2020: Eel City

Vailulu'u is an underwater volcano that lies approximately 20 miles east of Ta'u Island in American Samoa. During a 2005 exploration of Vailulu’u, scientists observed swarms of small synaphobranchid eels, Dysommina rugosa, living in the crevices on the summit of Nafanua, a volcanic cone located within the crater of Vailulu’u. They dubbed this site

Image courtesy of Vailulu'u 2005 Exploration, NOAA-OE. Download larger version (jpg, 2.6 MB).

Vailulu'u is an underwater volcano that lies approximately 20 miles east of Ta'u Island in American Samoa. During a 2005 exploration of Vailulu’u, scientists observed swarms of small synaphobranchid eels, Dysommina rugosa, living in the crevices on the summit of Nafanua, a volcanic cone located within the crater of Vailulu’u. They dubbed this site "Eel City."

In 2017, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer returned to Vailulu’u to visually survey the seamount once again. Learn more about what the team found in this daily update.