Lava is spewing from the summit and moving away in a lava channel. In the past, eruptions have occurred all along the rift zone, including the submarine portion. Puna Ridge is built from these underwater eruptions. Contour map of the Puna Ridge. The last part of the subaerial rift zone is seen on the left in white and the Puna Ridge continues underwater.
Blues represent the deepest water.
The primary goal of our cruise is to get a better understanding of the Puna Ridge. This information will help us to understand how magma moves within Kilauea volcano, where eruptions are likely to occur, and how the eruptions will act. It will also help us to understand the formation of other oceanic islands, submarine volcanoes and mid-ocean ridges .