Eifuku

About

Eifuku and NW Eifuku are two seamounts in the Pacific Ocean. The better known one is NW Eifuku, where an unusual hydrothermal vent called "Champagne" produced droplets of liquid CO2. Both seamounts are located in the Northern Marianas and are volcanoes, part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc. NW Eifuku rises to 1,535 metres (5, 036 ft) depth below sea level and is a 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) wide volcanic cone. Both Eifuku seamounts are hydrothermally active, with numerous vent sites found on NW Eifuku including the "Champagne" vent site, where there are a number of white smokers. Diverse ecosystems dominated by mussels live in proximity and around the hydrothermal vent sites.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.