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. 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. A bathymetric map with two time vertical exaggeration shows Esmeralda Bank submarine volcano, as seen from the NW. Depths in this image range from 54 to 2052 meters. Bathymetry data (~25 meter resolution) is overlaid on SeaBat data (~50 meter resolution) courtesy of Yoshihiko Tamura, JAMSTEC. Image courtesy of Susan Merle (Oregon State University/NOAA Vents Program). From the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.

Location:
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 *