Davidson Seamount

Davidson Seamount
Bathymetric map of Davidson Seamount.
Davidson Seamount is located in California
Davidson Seamount
Summit depth4,101 ft (1,250 m)[2]
Height7,480 ft (2,280 m)[2]
Location
Coordinates35°43′N 122°43′W / 35.717°N 122.717°W / 35.717; -122.717[1]
CountryCalifornia, United States
Geology
TypeSeamount (underwater volcano)
Age of rock9–15 million years [3]
Last eruption~9.8 million years ago[2]
History
Discovery date1933[4]

Davidson Seamount is a seamount (underwater volcano) located off the coast of Central California, 80 mi (129 km) southwest of Monterey and 75 mi (121 km) west of San Simeon. At 26 mi (42 km) long and 8 mi (13 km) wide, it is one of the largest known seamounts in the world.[4] From base to crest, the seamount is 7,480 ft (2,280 m) tall, yet its summit is still 4,101 ft (1,250 m) below the sea surface. The seamount is biologically diverse, with 237 species and 27 types of deep-sea coral having been identified.[2]

Discovered during the mapping of California's coast in 1933, Davidson Seamount is named after geographer George Davidson of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Studied only sparsely for decades, NOAA expeditions to the seamount in 2002 and 2006 cast light upon its unique deep-sea coral ecosystem. Davidson Seamount is populated by a dense population of large, ancient corals, some over 100 years old. The data gathered during the studies led to the Davidson Seamount being added to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2009.

  1. ^ "Seamount Catalog". Seamount database. Earthref.org, a National Science Foundation Project. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "Davidson Seamount: In 2009, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Expanded To Include The Davidson Seamount Management Zone". NOAA (Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary). 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference expd-2006-geo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference noaa2006-sheet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).