Underwater ‘Sharkcano’ Volcano Erupts in Solomon Islands, NASA Warns

The Kavachi Volcano has been dubbed "sharkcano" as it houses two shark species in its submerged crater - the scalloped hammerhead and the silky shark.

NASA has released satellite images showing a plume of discoloured water emerging from the submarine Kavachi Volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean on 14 May, warning that "sharkcano" is starting to erupt.

The volcano lies about 15 miles south of the Solomon Island’s Vangunu Island and is a home to two species of sharks that have adapted to its acidic, sulphuric waters, and particulate matter and volcanic rock fragments.

The satellite data suggests volcanic activity occurred on several days during April and May 2022.

A potential eruption, however, does not reportedly pose a major threat to the local fauna. Apart from the sharks, the area also houses communities of sixgill stingrays, snapper fish, jellyfish and microbial, all of which thrive on sulphur. Scientists believe that the sharks have mutated to survive in the hot acidic waters.

The Kavachi Volcano is one of the Pacific's most active submarine volcanoes, with at least 11 massive eruptions taking place since the late 1970s. Two of the eruptions were so powerful that they created new islands, which, however, later submerged back into the water.