Esmeralda Bank
Find U.S. Volcano
Esmeralda Bank is a massive submarine volcano with three summit cones oriented along a N-S line. Their summits are from 43 to 140 m beneath the sea surface.
Quick Facts
Location: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Latitude: 15° N
Longitude: 145.25° E
Elevation: -43 (m) -141 (f)
Volcano type: Submarine
Composition: Basalt - Andesite
Most recent eruption: Unrest in the Holocene
Threat Potential: Low/Very Low*
*based on the National Volcano Early Warning System
Summary
Esmeralda Bank is a massive submarine volcano with three summit cones oriented along a N-S line. Their summits are from 43 to 141 m beneath the sea surface. The highest, middle peak contains a 3-km-wide caldera open to the west and several parasitic cones. Frequent sulfur boils and water discoloration have been observed, which have variously been attributed to eruptive events or solfataric activity. From the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Publications
Volcanic hazards in the Pacific U.S. Territories
2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
When erupting, all volcanoes pose a degree of risk to people and infrastructure, however, the risks are not equivalent from one volcano to another because of differences in eruptive style and geographic location. Assessing the relative threats posed by U.S. volcanoes identifies which volcanoes warrant the greatest risk-mitigation efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners. This update
Volcanic investigations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, April to May 1994
A team of U.S. Geological Survey geologists, a seismologist, and technicians gathered new geologic, seismic, and deformation data in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Nine volcanic islands on the active East Mariana Ridge north of Saipan were examined between April 20 and May 3, 1994. In addition, a new radio-telemetry seismic station was installed on the island of Agrihan (