The Moai Seamount is a submarine volcano, the second most westerly in the Easter Seamount Chain or Sala y Gómez ridge. It is east of Pukao seamount and west of Easter Island. It rises over 2,500 metres from the ocean floor to within a few hundred metres of the sea surface.[2] The Moai seamount is fairly young, having developed in the last few hundred thousand years as the Nazca Plate floats over the Easter hotspot.
Moai | |
---|---|
![]() Orthographic projection centered on Easter Island | |
Height | >2,500 metres |
Location | |
Location | Pacific Ocean, west of Easter Island |
Coordinates | 27°06′S 109°51′W / 27.1°S 109.85°WCoordinates: 27°06′S 109°51′W / 27.1°S 109.85°W[1] |
Geology | |
Type | Submarine volcano |
Volcanic arc/chain | Sala y Gómez ridge |
Age of rock | Pleistocene |
Last eruption | >100,000 BCE |
The Moai seamount was named after the moai statues of neighbouring Easter Island.