🌋Huge Plumes, Pumice Rafts, and a Boiling Reef: Papua New Guinea’s Scary New #Volcano

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Well, another undersea volcano is erupting. This one near Papa New Guiney's Bismar Sea. Another sign of the time. Biblical. What do you think? A dramatic new submarine volcanic eruption is unfolding in the central Bismar Sea about 125 km or 77 mi southeast of Manis Island, Papa New Guinea. The event which began around May 8th has been named the Titan Ridge Volcano after the undersea volcanic ridge where it is occurring.

[00:00:39]Using Google Earth, here's the location of the U volcano. It could be u pronounced Titan. Uh I I I could be very wrong about both Titan or Titan. Um, but here we got Manis Island and this is the location uh where the volcano is supposedly currently erupting.

[00:01:04]I'll bring the map out a little bit so you can see, you know, um, how close it is to Papa New Guinea.

[00:01:11]The eruption started with a swarm of earthquakes followed by visible signs from space, towering steam and ash plumes rising several kilometers into the atmosphere. Large fields of floating pummus and striking green turquoise discoloration of the ocean surface. Satellite images from NASA, ESA and other agency show two active vents. spaced approximately oh probably about 2.5 km apart producing vigorous activity.

[00:01:47]Local fisherman Kennedy Macy's who was tuna fishing in the area captured dramatic footage after noticing smoke coming out of the sea. He described the scene as sounding like thunder with the water smelling like burning metal. The next day, he and his fisherman reported large numbers of dead fish near Casta Reef. 12 years as a fisherman, I have never seen anything like that. It's scary, Macy's told reporters.

[00:02:22]Authorities in Papa New Guinea have issued strong warnings for the area.

[00:02:26]Seafarers and fishermen are advised to stay away due to floating pummus rafts which can damage boat engines, turbulent waters, unpredictable swells, falling ash, and the risk of small localized tsunamis. The eruption has already disrupted fishing grounds in the region important for local communities.

[00:02:52]Scientists note that the eruption is occurring in a technologically complex zone near the junction of a transform fault and a back arch spreading center.

[00:03:03]While the surrounding sea seafloor sits at a depth of about 500 to 800 m, which would be about 1,600 ft to 2,600 ft. Strong thermal anomalies suggest active vents are much shallower than previously mapped. This has allowed hot material to reach the surface effectively producing extensive pummus rafts that have drifted up to 200 kilm which is 120 m. So yeah that's that's a good size area. As of late May this year, the eruption continues though plumes intensity have varied. Um it is currently considered the largest explosive submarine eruption of the year so far. Experts are closely monitoring the situation viva satellites as high resolution seafloor maps of this area are limited. Yeah, next to none.

[00:04:07]While unlikely to reach the extreme explosivity of the event like the Hunga Tunga volcanic eruption in 2022, the Titan or Titan Ridge eruption serves as a reminder of how dynamic and poorly understood many submarine volcanoes remain. It may even build a new island over time, though that outcome is still uncertain. The remote location is limited. imminent impacts on land, but local fishermen and maritime traffic continued to feel the effects. The main reason for the green color, the eruption release large amounts of gases, including sulfur compounds and fine particles from magma. These interact with seawater creating the suspended um participants of mineral like iron oxide, aluminum and silicon compounds.

[00:05:07]Different ratios produce varying hues.

[00:05:10]More iron can lead to yellow or brown while aluminum and silicon mixes often create a green or turquoise tones. The superheated mineralrich fluids venting from the seafloor create visible discolored plumes that spread over large areas hundreds of square kilometers. In this case, the fisherman have also reported it looked like the fish had been instantly cooked because of the heated water. Fisherman Kennedy Macy described the sea near the reef as behaving like a boiling spring. The water was violently disturbed with intense churning and bubbling caused by the hot volcanic gases and minerals rising up from below. And the local fisherman noted rumbling sounds like thunder underwater alongside these changes that were going on there. So, what are your thoughts? Put your comments down below. Thank you for watching. Please like, share, and subscribe. And I'll talk to you later.

[00:06:14]God bless you all. Bye.