Tasman
Seamounts Reserve - John Seach
Tasman Sea
South East Australia
Tasman Line
of Fire
This line of fire
is created by a mantle plume which gives rise to hotspot volcanoes underwater.
The Tasman line of fire extends from Mt Erebus in Antarctica along the
South East coast of Australia into the Tasman sea. The line is 4 000 km
long and fused about 55 million years ago, joining Lord Howe Island to
the Australian plate. Mt Erebus now sits over the Tasman mantle plume.
The Tasmanian Seamounts Reserve covers
about 370 square kilometres, and 15 of the 70 seamounts in the zone. Bottom
trawling and petroleum and mineral exploration are banned. It is a protected
area, declared in 1999, with 70 extinct volcanoes 170 kilometres south
of Hobart.
Major seamounts
Queensland, Britannia, Derwent-Hunter,
Lord Howe Island, Barcoo, Taupo, Gascoyne.
Heemskirk, Zeehan, Soela.
    
Tasman Line of Fire
www.volcanolive.com
Copyright John Seach
|