Great Meteor Seamount

Infobox Seamount
Name=Great Meteor Seamount


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Location= North Atlantic Ocean
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Type=Guyot
Volcanic group=Great Meteor Seamount chain
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Photo caption=The Great Meteor Seamount is a gigantic 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 seamounts in the world. It is flanked by the smaller Little Meteor Seamount. [ [http://www.horta.uac.pt/projectos/marbef/DSOORS/FinalFiles/Meteor.pdf METEOR] Retrieved on 2007-10-04]

Formation

The New England hotspot 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.cite web | title = Geological Origin of the New England Seamount Chain | work = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | publisher = U.S. Department of Commerce | year = 2005 | url = http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03mountains/background/geology/geology.html | accessdate = 2007-07-31 ]

References