In the past, researchers wrote that the presence of sharks in the crater raised 'new questions about the ecology of active submarine volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals exist.'

It is likely that previous volcanic eruptions, which have been occurring sporadically since at least 1939, could be providing nutrients that support a thriving marine ecosystem around the volcano. The Landsat 9 satellite captured a stunning shot of an underwater eruption plume from the Kavachi volcano in the southwest Pacific Ocean, whose summit lies approximately 65 feet (20 m) below sea level.ĭuring a 2015 expedition to Kavachi, researchers discovered that the volcano's crater is home to two types of sharks - hammerheads ( Sphyrna sp.) and silky sharks ( Carcharhinus falciformis) - despite the locale's explosive history. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Plumes from underwater volcanic activity from the Kavachi volcano.

Earth view from space station