Great Meteor Seamount
Encyclopedia
The Great Meteor Seamount is a large guyot
located south of the Azores
in the Atlantic Ocean
. It is the New England hotspot
's most recent eruptive center and is one of the most completely investigated seamount
s in the world. This guyot rises up from a depth of almost 4,800 meters to about 270 meters below the surface of the Atlantic. It is flanked by the smaller Little Meteor Seamount.
formed the White Mountains
124 to 100 million years ago when the North American continent
was directly overhead. As the continent drifted
to the west, the hotspot gradually moved offshore. On a southeasterly course, the hotspot formed Bear Seamount
, the oldest in the chain, about 100 to 103 million years ago. Over the course of millions of years, it continued creating the rest of the seamounts, eventually culminating in the Nashville Seamount
about 83 million years ago. As the Atlantic Ocean continued to spread
, the hotspot eventually "traveled" further east, forming the Great Meteor Seamount where it is found today.
and nematode
species.
Guyot
A guyot , also known as a tablemount, is an isolated underwater volcanic mountain , with a flat top over 200 meters below the surface of the sea. The diameters of these flat summits can exceed ....
located south of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It is the New England hotspot
New England hotspot
The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot, is a long-lived volcanic hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotspot's most recent eruptive center is the Great Meteor Seamount, and it probably created a short line of mid to late-Tertiary age seamounts on the African Plate but...
's most recent eruptive center and is one of the most completely investigated seamount
Seamount
A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...
s in the world. This guyot rises up from a depth of almost 4,800 meters to about 270 meters below the surface of the Atlantic. It is flanked by the smaller Little Meteor Seamount.
Formation
The New England hotspotNew England hotspot
The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot, is a long-lived volcanic hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotspot's most recent eruptive center is the Great Meteor Seamount, and it probably created a short line of mid to late-Tertiary age seamounts on the African Plate but...
formed the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
124 to 100 million years ago when the North American continent
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was directly overhead. As the continent drifted
Continental drift
Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other. The hypothesis that continents 'drift' was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596 and was fully developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912...
to the west, the hotspot gradually moved offshore. On a southeasterly course, the hotspot formed Bear Seamount
Bear Seamount
The Bear Seamount is a guyot in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the oldest of the New England Seamount chain, which was active more than 100 million years ago. It was formed when the North American Plate moved over the New England hotspot.- External links :*...
, the oldest in the chain, about 100 to 103 million years ago. Over the course of millions of years, it continued creating the rest of the seamounts, eventually culminating in the Nashville Seamount
Nashville Seamount
The Nashville Seamount is a seamount in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the New England Seamount chain, which was active more than 100 million years ago. It was formed when the North American Plate moved over the New England hotspot....
about 83 million years ago. As the Atlantic Ocean continued to spread
Seafloor spreading
Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics....
, the hotspot eventually "traveled" further east, forming the Great Meteor Seamount where it is found today.
Ecology
The unique ecological condition of the Great Meteor Seamount is shown by the many endemic copepodCopepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
and nematode
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
species.