The submarine flanks of Anatahan Volcano, commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

The submarine flanks of Anatahan volcano were surveyed comprehensively for the first time in 2003 and 2004 with multibeam and sidescan sonar systems. A geologic map based on the new bathymetry and backscatter data shows that 67% of the volcano's submarine flanks are covered with volcaniclastic debris and 26% is lava flows, cones, and bedrock outcrops. The island of Anatahan is only 1% of the volume of the entire volcano, which has a height from its submarine base of 3700 m and an average diameter of ∼35 km. NE Anatahan is a prominent satellite volcano located 10 km NE of the island, but it is only 6% of Anatahan's volume (40 km 3 vs. 620 km 3). Seventy-eight submarine eruptive vents are mapped associated with lava flows and cones between depths of 350 and 2950 m, and 80% of these vents are located in a cluster on the east flank of the volcano. The distribution of cones and lava flows vs. depth suggests a possible change in eruptive style from explosive to effusive between 1500 and 2000 m. Eruptive vents below 2000 m have produced mostly lava flows. There is no evidence of major landslides on the submarine flanks of Anatahan volcano, in contrast to many basaltic islands and seamounts, suggesting that mass wasting at felsic oceanic arc volcanoes may be characterized by sediment flows of unconsolidated volcaniclastic debris instead of mass movements of relatively large intact blocks.