Sydney

Credit: CSIRO

The largest volcanic chimney ever to be recovered from the sea floor is being brought ashore by an international team working for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Caught by the marine research vessel Franklin during an expedition focusing on mineral formation in the Western Pacific Ocean, the chimney (inset) is 2.7 m high, 70–80 cm across and weighs one tonne. It was snagged by a dredging net during a routine survey of the Eastern Manus Basin in the Bismarck Sea.

The research team also witnessed remarkable island-building activity as the marine volcano Kavachi erupted for the first time in nine years. Kavachi, near the Solomon Islands, produced eruptions 800 metres high every five minutes, ejecting ash and incandescent blocks of lava up to 70 metres above sea level.