ArticleslgStudy

earth science

South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts

South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts rather than just read about it. In short: The South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts are a continuation of the volcanic island arc, formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate. The subducting Pacific Plate created the Kermadec Trench, the second deepest submarine trench, to the east of the islands.

South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts — main illustration
South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts — illustration

Key takeaways

  • South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts are a continuation of the volcanic island arc, formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate. The subducting Pacific Plate created the Kermadec Trench, the second deepest submarine trench, to the east of the islands. The seamounts lie along the western aspect of the undersea Kermadec Ridge, which runs southwest from the Kermadec Islands towards the North Island of New Zealand and northeast towards Tonga (Kermadec-Tonga Arc). This area of the Kermadec Arc - Havre Trough is a relatively young oceanic arc-back-arc system as it became active in the Quaternary. The seamounts include:

Speight Knoll −1,840 metres (−6,037 ft)32.3883°S 179.591°E / -32.3883; 179.591 (Speight Knoll) Oliver Knoll −2,200 metres (−7,218 ft)32.39448°S 179.67231°E / -32.39448; 179.67231 (Oliver Knolll) Haungaroa Seamount −660 metres (−2,165 ft)32.6152°S 179.6217°E / -32.6152; 179.6217 (Haungaroa Seamount) Kuiwai Seamount −560 metres (−1,837 ft)33.159°S 179.9565°E / -33.159; 179.9565 (Kuiwai Seamount) Cole Seamount 33.4095°S 179.8715°E / -33.4095; 179.8715 (Cole Seamount) Ngātoroirangi Seamount −340 metres (−1,115 ft)33.73533°S 179.79666°E / -33.73533; 179.79666 (Ngatoroirangi Seamount) Sonne Seamount 34.066667°S 179.583333°E / -34.066667; 179.583333 (Sonne Seamount) Kibblewhite Seamount −990 metres (−3,248 ft)34.5762°S 179.262°E / -34.5762; 179.262 (Kibblewhite Seamount) Gill Seamount −1,200 metres (−3,937 ft) 34.62°S 178.375°E / -34.62; 178.375 (Gill Seamount) Situated in the middle of a deep basin (3000m deep) in the Havre Trough, to the west of Kibblewhite and actually closer to the Lau-Colville Ridge than the Kermadec Ridge Basalt age 1.1 ± 0.4 Ma Yokosuka Seamount −1,060 metres (−3,478 ft) 34.7°S 178.57°E / -34.7; 178.57 (Yokosuka Seamount) To west of Brothers situated on an elevated basal plateau (2500m deep) Rapuhia Seamount −650 metres (−2,133 ft) 34.77°S 178.5°E / -34.77; 178.5 (Rapuhia Seamount) To west of Brothers Gilianes Seamount −700 metres (−2,297 ft) 34.77°S 178.58°E / -34.77; 178.58 (Gilianes Seamount) To west of Brothers Brothers Seamount −1,350 metres (−4,429 ft) 34.875°S 179.075°E / -34.875; 179.075 (Brothers Seamount) Healy −1,150 metres (−3,773 ft) 35.0°S 178.9°E / -35.0; 178.9 (James Healy Seamount) Two calderas in a 15 kilometres (9 mi) elongated complex with the largest caldera being 3 x 4 km This is believed to have been formed in the 1360 ± 75 CE eruption Cotton −980 metres (−3,215 ft) 35.004°S 178.973°E / -35.004; 178.973 (Cotton Seamount) Satellitic cone to Healy at south west end of complex The Silents Silent I Seamount Silent II Seamount −850 metres (−2,789 ft) 35.15991°S 178.86805°E / -35.15991; 178.86805 (Silent II Seamount) The Rumbles Rumble I Seamount −1,100 metres (−3,609 ft) 35.5°S 178.9°E / -35.5; 178.9 (Rumble I) Rumble II West Seamount −1,200 metres (−3,937 ft) 35.353°S 178.527°E / -35.353; 178.527 (Rumble II West Seamount) Rumble II East Seamount −850 metres (−2,789 ft) 35.42916°S 178.65475°E / -35.42916; 178.65475 (Rumble II East Seamount) Rumble III Seamount −140 metres (−459 ft) 35.745°S 178.478°E / -35.745; 178.478 (Rumble III) Largest of the chain of Rumble seamounts Eruptions on: 9 July 1958 16 January 1963 15 October 1973 15 June 1986 2 July 2008 Rumble IV Seamount −450 metres (−1,476 ft)36.13°S 178.05°E / -36.13; 178.05 (Rumble IV) Rumble V Seamount −1,100 metres (−3,609 ft)36.139°S 178.197°E / -36.139; 178.197 (Rumble V) Lillie Seamount −1,280 metres (−4,199 ft)35.86956°S 178.43546°E / -35.86956; 178.43546 (Lillie Seamount) Lillie is north of Rumbles IV and V Tangaroa Seamount −600 metres (−1,969 ft) 36.321°S 178.028°E / -36.321; 178.028 (Tangaroa Seamount) Clark Seamount −860 metres (−2,822 ft) 36.446°S 177.839°E / -36.446; 177.839 (Clark Seamount) Whakatāne Seamount −900 metres (−2,953 ft) 36.78282°S 177.46181°E / -36.78282; 177.46181 (Whakatāne Seamount)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts

In research
South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ecoregions of New Zealand, Geography of the Kermadec Islands, Seamount chains, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts in simple terms?

The South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts are a continuation of the volcanic island arc, formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate. The subducting Pacific Plate created the Kermadec Trench, the second deepest submarine trench, to the east of the isl…

Why does South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts.

Tags

  • Ecoregions of New Zealand
  • Geography of the Kermadec Islands
  • Seamount chains
  • Seamounts of New Zealand
  • Volcanism of New Zealand
  • Volcanoes of New Zealand

Keep exploring