Scientists have discovered a volcano erupting under the sea, spewing lava over hundreds of square miles.

The eruption, about 300 miles off the Oregon coast in the United Sates, would have wreaked enormous devastation had it been on land but it almost passed unnoticed apart from the evidence of undersea microphones.

BBC science correspondent David Whitehouse details the Axial Seamount eruption (1'22")

In 1991 scientists were given access to data recorded by sea floor listening devices which had been previously used by the American military to detect Soviet submarines during the Cold War.

Since then, reseachers have been laying down their own microphones to record ocean events, particularly whales communicating with each other.

BBC science correspondent, David Whitehouse, says the eruption is a catastrophe for many local colonies of creatures like shrimps, tube worms and crabs. But, he said, once the lava cools down, bacteria brought to the sea floor will lead to a feeding frenzy for many animals.

The initial activity on January 25 was detected via the US Navy's Sound Surveillance System (Sosus).

It was located on the summit and southern flank of Axial Seamount on the central Juan de Fuca Ridge about 300 miles west of Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Now an expedition is being planned to investigate the eruption further by a team from the the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The expedition is due to start on February 9.
 

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