Geomorphological and Spatial Characteristics of Underwater Volcanoes in the Easternmost Australian-Antarctic Ridge

Abstract

Underwater volcanoes and their linear distribution on the flanks of mid-ocean ridges are common submarine topographic structures at intermediate- and fast-spreading systems, where sufficient melt supplies are often available. Such magma sources beneath the seafloor located within a few kilometers of the corresponding ridge-axis tend to concentrate toward the axis during the upwelling process and contribute to seafloor formation. As a result, seamounts on the flanks of the ridge axis are formed at a distance from the spreading axis and distributed asymmetrically about the axis. In this study, we examined three linearly aligned seamount chains on the flanks of the KR1 ridge, which is the easternmost and longest Australian-Antarctic Ridge (AAR) segment. The AAR is an intermediate-spreading rate system located between the Southeast Indian Ridge and Macquarie Triple Junction of the Australian-Antarctic-Pacific plates. By inspecting the high-resolution shipboard multi-beam bathymetric data newly acquired in the study area, we detected 20 individual seamounts. The volcanic lineament runs parallel to the spreading direction of the KR1 segment. The geomorphologic parameters of height, basal area, volume, and summit types of the identified seamounts were individually measured. We also investigated the spatial distribution of the seamounts along the KR1 segment, which exhibits large variations in axial morphology with depth along the ridge axis. Based on the geomorphology and spatial distribution, all the KR1 seamounts can be divided into two groups: the subset seamounts of volcanic chains distributed along the KR1 segment characterized by high elevation and large volume, and the small seamounts distributed mostly on the western KR1. The differences in the volumetric magnitude of volcanic eruptions on the seafloor and the distance from the given axis between these two groups indicate the presence of magma sources with different origins.