Deep-sea action

Scientists using remotely operated vehicles have reported the first close-up observations of a deep undersea volcano during its eruption.

SULFUR SMOKE. Ash and droplets of molten sulfur rise in scientists’ first look at a deep-sea volcanic eruption in progress. NOAA

The peak lies about 60 kilometers northwest of Rota, one of the Western Pacific’s Northern Mariana Islands. The base of the volcano, called NW Rota-1, is about 16 km across and lies beneath 2.7