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Giant underwater volcano found off Bengkulu waters
Scientists conducting an ocean survey on the nature of tsunamis got more than they bargained for after discovering a giant underwater volcano off the coast of Bengkulu province
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cientists conducting an ocean survey on the nature of tsunamis got more than they bargained for after discovering a giant underwater volcano off the coast of Bengkulu province.
A joint team of scientists from the Agency For the Assessment and Application Technology (BPPT), the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, and France-based CGGVeritas and Institut de Physique du Globe (IPG) located the volcano under the Sunda Trench, west of Sumatra.
It rises around 4,600 meters from the earth, with the rim more than 1,300 meters below the surface of the sea.
The base spans approximately 50 kilometers.
"This volcano is huge and tall. No mountain in Indonesia is this high except the Jayawijaya mountain in Papua," a BPPT Director, Yusuf Surachman, said to Antara state news agency Thursday.
He did not, however, go into detail regarding the volcano's activity level. "Nevertheless, an underwater volcano is very dangerous if it erupts," he said.
The seismic survey was conducted in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra as part of a TIDES (Tsunami Investigation - Deep Evaluation Seismic) project.
