Spotlight 11: Dom João de Castro Seamount

Dom João de Castro is an isolated seamount located at 38°13.3’N, 26°36.2’W in the Azores archipelago (Northeast Atlantic), between the islands Terceira and São Miguel. The shallower parts of this seamount were formed in 1720, when a volcanic cone emerged from the sea that reached ~ 1-km across and 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ricardo S. Santos, Fernando Tempera, Ana Colaço, Frederico Cardigos, Telmo Morato
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Oceanography Society 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/1fe2c4bf408943c8a419d970f94f1e8e
Description
Summary:Dom João de Castro is an isolated seamount located at 38°13.3’N, 26°36.2’W in the Azores archipelago (Northeast Atlantic), between the islands Terceira and São Miguel. The shallower parts of this seamount were formed in 1720, when a volcanic cone emerged from the sea that reached ~ 1-km across and 150-m high. This cone was eroded by ocean swells in just four months, and today only a large submerged caldera (300–600 m in diameter) remains whose bottom is at 50-m depth and its top at 13-m depth. Dom João Castro is an important fisheries ground both for demersal fish, such as the black-spot seabream Pagellus bogaraveo and the blue-mouth Helycolenus dactylopterus, and tuna pelagic visitors.