| South Chamorro Seamount | |
|---|---|
  85 km (53 mi) off of the Mariana Trench[1] | |
| Height | ~2,400 m (7,874 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | 85 km (53 mi) off of the Mariana Trench[1] |
| Coordinates | 13°7′N 146°0′E / 13.117°N 146.000°E[1] |
| Geology | |
| Type | Mud volcano, Seamount |
| Volcanic arc/chain | Izu-Bonin-Mariana Volcanic Arc of the Mariana Trench |
| History | |
| Discovery date | 1977[1] |
| First visit | 1981[1] |
South Chamorro Seamount is a large serpentinite mud volcano and seamount located in the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc, one of 16 such volcanoes in the arc. These seamounts are at their largest 50 km (31 mi) in diameter and 2.4 km (1.5 mi) in height. Studies of the seamount include dives by the submersible dives (DSV Shinkai, 1993 and 1997), drilling (Ocean Drilling Program, 2001) and (International Ocean Discovery Program, 2016–2017), and ROV dives (2003, 2009).[1]
The seamount and its nearby peers were created by the movement of crushed rock, resulting from plate movement, upwards through fissures in the Mariana Plate. South Chamorro is the farthest of the mud volcanoes from the trench, at a distance of 85 km (53 mi), resulting in high-temperature flows rich in sulfate and methane. The seamount suffered a major flank collapse on its southeastern side, over which the present summit was probably formed. The summit supports an ecosystem of mussels, gastropods, tube worms, and others, suggesting that it is an active seeping region.