Geography of Samoa

Map of the Samoan archipelago

Topography of Samoa.

File:South east coast Savai'i island - Samoa 2009.jpg

South east coast of Savai'i island.

The Samoan archipelago is a chain of 16 islands and numerous seamounts covering Template:Convert in the central South Pacific, south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. The islands are Savaiʻi, Upolu, Tutuila, ’Uvea, Taʻū, Ofu, Olosega, Apolima, Manono, Nuʻutele, Niulakita, Nuʻulua, Namua, Fanuatapu, Rose Atoll, Nu'ulopa, as well as the submerged Vailuluʻu, Pasco banks, and Alexa Bank.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

TectonicsEdit

The Samoan archipelago has many features that are consistent with a plume-driven hotspot model, including the currently active submarine volcano Vailuluʻu that anchors the eastern extremity. However, the chain's proximity to the northern end of the Tonga trench, and the presence of voluminous young volcanism on what should be the oldest (~5 my) western island Savaiʻi has induced controversy regarding a simple plume/hotspot model.<ref name="HartCoetzee">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Samoan archipelago was most likely created by the Pacific Tectonic Plate traveling over a fixed hotspot. The Samoa hotspot trail is in part coincident with a large group of islands and seamounts Template:Convert long, which were probably formed by the same hotspot, but also intersect with older seamounts along the hotspot highway left by the Macdonald, Rurutu, and Rarotonga hotspots and feature substantial postshield volcanism, probably owing to tectonic phenomena triggered by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Australian Plate at the nearby Tonga Trench.<ref name="PriceJackson2017">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Smith-Vaniz1987">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=sch>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Vailuluʻu is a volcanic seamount discovered in 1975. It rises from the sea floor to a depth of Template:Convert and is located between [[Tau, American Samoa|TaTemplate:Okinau]] and Rose islands at the eastern end of the Samoa hotspot chain. The basaltic seamount is considered to mark the current location of the Samoa hotspot. The summit of VailuluTemplate:Okinau contains a Template:Convert wide, Template:Convert deep oval-shaped caldera. Two principal rift zones extend east and west from the summit, parallel to the trend of the Samoan hotspot. A third less prominent rift extends southeast of the summit.<ref name="HartCoetzee" />

Rose Atoll and Malulu seamount are likely remnants of where the path of either the Macdonald or Rarotonga hotspots crossed the path of the Samoa hotspot.<ref name="JacksonHart2010">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Koppers2011">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Some seamounts in western Samoa ("Samoan Seamounts"<ref name="Koppers2013">Template:Cite journal</ref>), which were emplaced together with Tuvalu between 63 and 42 million years ago are likely remnants of the Rurutu hotspot.<ref name="Finlayson2016a">Template:Cite journal</ref> These are also known as the "interloper seamounts".<ref name="Finlayson2016">Template:Cite journal</ref> Other undated seamounts in Samoa have been linked to the Rurutu hotspot on the basis of geochemical evidence.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Islands of the Samoan archipelagoEdit

Island	Area	Coastline	Population	Highest Point	Last Volcanic Eruption	Country/Territory
Savaiʻi	1,694	195	43,142	1,858	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Upolu	1,125	197	143,418	1,113	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Tutuila	142.3	135	55,876	653	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
’Uvea	96	43	8,333	131	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Taʻū	47.02	32	790	931	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Ofu	7.215	11.47	176	491	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Olosega	5.163	13.38	172	629	1866 CE<ref name="GVPOfu" />	Template:Flag
Apolima	4.1	4.19	75	165	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Manono	3	7.5	889	37	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Nuʻutele	1.15	5.04	0	180	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Niulakita	0.4	2.2	34	4.6	Cretaceous<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	Template:Flag
Nuʻulua	0.23	2.78	0	96	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Namua	0.18	2.08	0	91	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Fanuatapu	0.06	1.81	0	31	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Rose Atoll	0.05	0.75	0	3.5	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Flag
Nu'ulopa	0.01	0.45	0	37	Unknown<ref name="GVPUpolu" />	Template:Flag
Total	3,126	654	252,905

ClimateEdit

Template:Further Due to its positioning in the South Pacific Ocean, the Samoan archipelago is frequently hit by tropical cyclones between November and April. Samoa has a trade-wind tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af), with an average annual temperature of Template:Convert. The wettest period occurs from November to April, although heavy rain may fall in any month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:Weather box

TerrainEdit

File:Samoa2022OSM.png

Detailed map of Samoa

The terrain of the larger islands consists of a narrow coastal plains with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in the interior. The Natural resources include hardwood forests, fish, and hydropower. The smaller islands are remnants of eroded volcanic tuff rings, some are just a coral reef atop the eroded cone of a defunct volcano.<ref>[1] Restoration of Nu'utele and Nu'ulua Islands, Samoa by David J. Butler, April 2005, SPREP. Retrieved 25 October 2009</ref>

Rose Atoll is the easternmost point of the archipelago and the southernmost point of the United States.<ref name="NOAA_ASamoa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> American Samoa is home to the National Park of American Samoa.

The highest mountains are: Mt Silisili (Savaiʻi) at Template:Convert, Mount Fito (Upolu) at Template:Convert, Lata Mountain (Taʻū), Template:Cvt; Matafao Peak (Tutuila) at Template:Cvt, Piumafua (Olosega) at Template:Cvt, and Tumutumu (Ofu) at Template:Cvt. Mount Pioa (Tutuila), nicknamed the Rainmaker, is Template:Cvt.<ref>Sunia, Fofo I.F. (2009). A History of American Samoa. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. Page 355. Template:ISBN.</ref> Template:Rp American Samoa is also home to some of the world's highest sea cliffs at Template:Cvt.<ref>Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). Geology of National Parks. Kendall Hunt. p. 603. Template:ISBN.</ref>

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

SourcesEdit

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend