View source for Musicians Seamounts

{{short description|Chain of seamounts in the Pacific Ocean, north of the Hawaiian Ridge}}
{{Infobox Seamount 
| name=Musicians Seamounts
| pushpin_map= Pacific Ocean
| map_caption=
| depth= 
| height= 
| location= North [[Pacific Ocean]]
| group=
| coordinates = {{coord|30|N|162|W|display=it|notes={{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}}}}
| country =
| type= 
| volcanic_group=Euterpe Hotspot
| age={{Geological range|98.1|47.4|[[Cretaceous]]|ref={{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.1 Euterpe Hotspot track}}}}
| last_eruption= 47.4&nbsp;{{abbr|Ma|million year ago}}
| discovered=
| Discovered_by=
| First_visit=
| translation=
| pronunciation=
| photo=Hawaiian seamount chain.jpg
| photo_caption=Musicians Seamounts are in the upper-central sector of the map
}}

'''Musicians Seamounts''' (previously '''North Hawaiian Seamounts''', '''North Hawaiian Seamount Range''') are a chain of [[seamount]]s in the [[Pacific Ocean]], north of the [[Hawaiian ridge|Hawaiian Ridge]]. There are about 65 seamounts, some of which are named after musicians. These seamounts exist in two chains, one of which has been attributed to a probably now-extinct [[Hotspot (geology)|hotspot]] called the '''Euterpe hotspot'''. Others may have formed in response to [[plate tectonics]] associated with the boundary between the [[Pacific plate]] and the former [[Farallon plate]].

The seamounts were constructed on young [[oceanic crust]] during the [[Cretaceous]], but a second phase of volcanic activity took place during the [[Eocene]]. [[Deep-sea coral|Deep sea coral reefs]] occur on the seamounts.

== Geography and geomorphology ==
The Musicians Seamounts lie in the north-central Pacific,{{sfn|Freedman|Parsons|1986|p=8326}}{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} north of the Hawaiian Ridge north and northwest of [[Necker Island (Hawaii)|Necker Island]],{{sfn|Clague|Dalrymple|1975|p=306}} extending over a length of {{convert|1200|km}}.{{sfn|Rea|Naugler|1971|p=89}} The seamounts were formerly known as the North Hawaiian Seamounts,<ref name="MarineRegions" /> or the North Hawaiian Seamount Range{{sfn|Rea|Naugler|1971|p=90}} and were among the first submarine mountains to be thoroughly researched.<ref name="Kvile2014" />

The seamounts consist of two separate chains (one trending in north–south direction parallel to the [[Emperor Seamounts]] and the other in northwest–southeast direction parallel to the northern [[Line Islands]]) of ridges that extend east–west and seamounts.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} Such a ridge has been called a volcanic elongated ridge (VER).{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.2 Volcanic elongated ridges}} Seamounts have usually an elliptical cross section and heights of {{convert|1000|-|4000|m}}{{sfn|Freedman|Parsons|1986|p=8326}} and no flat tops like other seamounts south of the Hawaiian Ridge; the highest is Liszt Seamount whose summit has a depth of {{convert|1582|m}}.{{sfn|Rea|Naugler|1971|p=91}} The ridges contain individual volcanoes and reach lengths of over {{convert|400|km}}; in the Italian{{efn|In the northeasternmost Musicians Seamounts.<ref name="Watts2010" />}} and Rapano (Bach) Ridges the volcanoes are {{convert|2.2|-|5.1|km}} high. The Musicians [[Horst (geology)|horst]] and the Southern Ridges are additional features of the Musicians Seamounts.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}} Larger than the seamounts are volcanic lineaments, on which the seamounts formed.{{sfn|Cantwell|Smith|Putts|White|2020|p=29}} Terrain observed by [[remotely operated vehicle]]s shows large blocks, [[pillow lava]]s, flat terrain, [[lava flow]]s and [[Scree|talus]].<ref name="OKDU2018" />

{{GeoGroup}}
The name for the group was proposed in 1959.<ref name="MarineRegions" /> The total number of seamounts is about 65,{{sfn|Rea|Naugler|1971|p=89}} some of which [[Henry William Menard]] named after 18th century musicians,<ref name="MarineRegions2" /> and only about 25 are individually named.<ref name="MarineRegions" /> Among the seamounts known by name are:{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=189}}{{sfn|Clague|Dalrymple|1975|p=306}}<ref name="Dixon1983" />{{sfn|Freedman|Parsons|1986|p=8328}}
{{maplink
|frame=yes|frame-align=right
| caption =Musicians Seamounts
| frame-width=285|frame-height=450|frame-long=-161.11|frame-lat=27.2
| zoom=5
| marker=volcano
| marker-color=#ff0000
| marker-size=small
| type=named
| text=Musicians Seamounts peak locations
}}

{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=right|frame-width=285|frame-height=450|frame-long=-161.11|frame-lat=27.2|zoom=5|raw=[{{Wikipedia:Map data/Fracture zone}},{{Wikipedia:Map data/Musicians Seamounts}}] 
|text=Map of approximate surface projection of Musicians Seamount features above the sea floor abyssal plain (red) and of alignments of Murray fracture zone, and Pioneer fracture zone (light orange) at same scale as map above. The concept of volcanic elongated ridge (VER) is illustrated by the east-west alignment of many features.}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Musicians seamounts and volcanic elongated ridge (VER)s of seamounts
|-
! Name !! Grouping{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}} !! Coords !! Age{{efn|name=fn1|Technical issues mean published ages, particularly from older analysis could be inaccurate. For a discussion of the issues see Clouard et. al. 2005.<ref name="Clouard2005" /> Recent compiliations of ages may remove or adjust suspect ages, so age discrepancies need checking against original sources.}} !!class="unsortable" | Comments
|-
|Northwest Cluster ||Euterpe||{{coord|33.48|N|166.53|W|name=Bizet}}||98.1±0.8&nbsp;{{abbr|Ma|million years ago}}||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Rossini||Italian VER||{{coord|32|12|N|163|00|W|name=Rossini}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Bizet||Italian VER||{{coord|32.26667|N|161.633333|W|name=Bizet}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />
|-
|Berlin|| - ||{{coord|32.85|N|166|W|name=Bizet}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Stravinsky (Godard)|| - ||{{coord|31.483333|N|164.6|W|name=Stravinsky}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" /><ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Wagner|| - ||{{coord|31|46|N|162|54|W|name=Wagner}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Shostakovich (Lange)|| - ||{{coord|33|16|N|164|53|W|name=Shostakovich}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Strauss|| - ||{{coord|33|18|N|164|09|W|name=Strauss}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Bellini||Italian VER||{{coord|32|42|N|163|11|W|name=Bellini}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Verdi|| - ||{{coord|31.60|N|162.90|W|name=Verdi}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />
|-
|Puccini||Italian VER||{{coord|32|15|N|162|21|W|name=Puccini}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Schubert (Shubert) || - ||{{coord|31.933333|N|162.15|W|name=Schubert}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" /><ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Donizetti||Italian VER||{{coord|32.33333|N|160.00|W|name=Donizetti}}||94.7&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}}
|-
|Hammerstein|| - ||{{coord|32.46|N|165.76|W|name=Hammerstein}}||96.8±2.5&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Mahler|| - ||{{coord|31.63|N|165.10|W|name=Mahler}}||91.5&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}<ref name="Clouard2005" />
|-
|Brahms||Euterpe||{{coord|31.15940|N|162.37846|W|name=Brahms}}||92.2±0.8&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Mussorgski||Euterpe||{{coord|30|22|N|163|50|W|name=Mussorgski}}||86.0±0.45&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="MarineRegions" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}Sample from summit so hotspot late stage{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.1 Euterpe Hotspot track}}
|-
|Debussy||Euterpe||{{coord|30.30|N|162.09|W|name=Debussy}}||91.45±0.44&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Dvorák (Dvorak, Dvorák)|| - ||{{coord|30|31|N|161|20|W|name=Dvorak}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Rachmaninoff||Euterpe||{{coord|29|35|16.6|N|163|21|0.6|W|name=Rachmaninoff}}||88.3±2.5&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="MarineRegions" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovski)|| - ||{{coord|29.383333|N|162.083333|W|name=Tchaikovsky}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Murray Ridge||[[Murray fracture zone]]||{{coord|29.26|N|160.41|W|name=Murray Ridge}}||49.6&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}} Has reactivated volcanism{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.3 Non-Euterpe Plume Derived Volcanism}}
|-
|Liszt|| - ||{{coord|29.00|N|162.00|W|name=Liszt}}||88.6±0.71&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Paganini (Mississippi)|| - ||{{coord|28|41|N|162|40|W|name=Paganini}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Mozart|| - ||{{coord|28|40|N|161|43|W|name=Mozart}}||88.27±0.59&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="MarineRegions" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Khachaturian||Euterpe||{{coord|28|8|27.9|N|162|18|54.6|W|name=Khachaturian}}||82.2±2.7&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="MarineRegions" />{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}}
|-
|Grieg|| - ||{{coord|27|51|N|162|03|W|name=Grieg}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Gounod|| - ||{{coord|27|53|N|161|20|W|name=Gounod}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Handel|| - ||{{coord|27.50|N|159.80|W|name=Handel}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />
|-
|Scarlatti|| - ||{{coord|27|38|5.7|N|160|14|10.5|W|name=Scarlatti}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Ravel|| - ||{{coord|27|16|N|161|40|W|name=Ravel}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Gluck|| - ||{{coord|26|53|N|160|06|W|name=Gluck}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Sibelius|| - ||{{coord|27|13|N|160|44|W|name=Sibelius}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Chopin|| - ||{{coord|26.10|N|162.00|W|name=Chopin}}|| - ||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" />
|-
|Haydn|| - ||{{coord|26.67|N|161.20|W|name=Haydn}}||75.1&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" /><ref name="Clouard2005" />
|-
|Rapano (Bach) Ridge||Rapano VER||{{coord|26.58|N|158.83|W|name=Rapano Ridge}}||53.2, 53.7,<br/>76.0, 47.4&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}} Has reactivated volcanism{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.3 Non-Euterpe Plume Derived Volcanism}}
|-
|Beethoven Ridge||Beethoven VER||{{coord|26.16|N|158.42|W|name=Beethoven Ridge}}||48.8&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}}
|-
|West Schumann|| Euterpe ||{{coord|25.95|N|159.90|W|name=West Schumann}}||85.6&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}}
|-
|Schumann||Euterpe||-||80.4&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}}
|-
|Blackfin Ridge|| Blackfin VER|| - ||53.0&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}}Southernmost VER from Schumann
|-
|West Mendelssohn||Euterpe||{{coord|25.13|N|161.95|W|name=West Mendelssohn}}||85&nbsp;Ma||
{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}} Has reactivated volcanism{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.3 Non-Euterpe Plume Derived Volcanism}}
|-
|East Mendelssohn|| - ||{{coord|25.18|N|161.60|W|name=East Mendelssohn}}||78.5&nbsp;Ma||{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Table 2.}}<ref name="Clouard2005" />
|-
|Prokof'yev (Prokofiev)|| - ||{{coord|25|51|N|157|53|W|name=Prokofiev}}|| - ||<ref name="MarineRegions" />
|-
|Paumakua{{efn|name=fn2|The name Paumaku may be being used for more than one seamount in the Pacific. It is not named in the Marine Gazetteer and a reference was identified that gave a different longitude but the reference may be in error. Two references were used to validate this name.<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992" /><ref name="Clouard2005" />}}|| - ||{{coord|24.83|N|157.08|W|name=Paumakua}}||65.5&nbsp;Ma||<ref name="Clouard2005" />
|}

== Geology ==
The Pacific Ocean floor beneath the seamounts is of [[Cretaceous]] age and is subdivided by the [[Murray Fracture Zone]] into an older northern (100 to 95 million years ago) and a younger southern (80 to 85 million years ago) sector.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} To the north, the Musicians Seamounts are limited by the [[Pioneer fracture zone]].{{sfn|Freedman|Parsons|1986|p=8327}} and just to its south are four unnamed seamounts of the Northwest cluster.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.1 Euterpe Hotspot track}} The Musicians Seamounts developed on crust that was no more than 20 million years old,{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} and [[paleomagnetic]] information indicates that the seamounts were located between 0 and 10° north of the [[equator]] when they developed.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=211}} Only several of the seamounts reached above sea level.{{sfn|Cantwell|Smith|Putts|White|2020|p=7}}

Rock samples dredged from the seamounts include [[basalt]], [[hawaiite]], [[mugearite]] and [[trachyte]]. Minerals contained in the rocks consist of [[aegirine]], [[augite]], [[clinopyroxene]], [[feldspar]], oxidized [[olivine]], [[orthopyroxene]], [[plagioclase]] and [[pyroxene]]. [[Calcite]], [[clay]] and [[zeolite]]s have formed through alteration processes,{{sfn|Pringle|1993|pp=190-191}} and [[manganese nodule]]s have been encountered as well.<ref name="Andreyev2010" /> The petrogenesis of Musicians Seamounts [[magma]]s has been explained by the mixing of several [[mantle (geology)|mantle]]-derived components.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=467}}

=== Origin ===
The origin of the seamounts has been explained with either one or two hotspots of [[Cretaceous]] age.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} Dating of the seamounts supports a hotspot origin only for the northwest–southeast trend, however.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=211}} This hotspot has been named '''Euterpe hotspot''' after [[Euterpe]], Greek [[Muse]] of musicians.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}} Plate reconstructions for the time period based on the dates of the northwest–southeast trend and the older [[Line Islands]] are consistent with each other.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=213}} The oldest is a sample from one of the Northwest cluster at 98.1&nbsp;{{abbr|Ma|million years ago}}{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.1 Euterpe Hotspot track}}

It is possible that their formation was influenced by the nearby presence of a [[spreading ridge]],{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=212}} a process which has been suggested for other hotspots such as [[Réunion]], [[Iceland]], [[Azores]] and others as well.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=459}} The [[Pacific-Farallon Ridge]] was located east of the Musicians Seamounts and flow from the hotspot to the ridge may have generated the east–west trending VERs of the Musicians Seamounts.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}} This process is similar to that that formed the Wolf-Darwin linement extending from the present [[Galápagos hotspot]].{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.2 Volcanic elongated ridges}} Technically this could be explained in [[plate tectonics]] as a process of [[asthenosphere]] related flow allowing buoyant melt from the hotspot being channelled towards the active spreading center.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.2 Volcanic elongated ridges}}

Alternative earlier explanations for the formation of the Musicians Seamounts is the presence of a former [[spreading ridge]] at their site,{{sfn|Freedman|Parsons|1986|p=8327}} and crustal weaknesses associated with the so-called "bending line" in the region which was formed by a change in the motion of the [[Pacific plate]].<ref name="Rea1970" />

=== Eruptive history ===
The Musicians Seamounts were active during the [[Late Cretaceous]].{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} Ages obtained on some seamounts range from 96 million years ago for one that is unnamed in the Northwest Cluster, to 47 million years ago.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Fig. 2.}} The ages include over 94 million years ago for Hammerstein, 91 million years ago for Mahler, 90 million years ago for Brahms, 86 million years ago for Rachmaninoff, 84 million years ago for Liszt, 83 million years ago for Khatchaturian and West Schumann, 82 million years ago for West Mendelssohn, 79 million years ago for East Mendelssohn, 75 million years ago for Bach Ridge and Haydn to 65 million years ago for Paumakua.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=189}}

Based on considerations derived from [[plate tectonics]], earlier volcanism could have occurred on the [[Farallon plate]],{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}} which has been [[subducted]] in its entirely and its volcanoes have now vanished.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=461}} No volcanism in the Musicians Seamounts post-dating about 70 million years ago was discovered at first;{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=211}} either volcanism ceased at that time or it continued on the [[Farallon plate]] again.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=212}} The Euterpe hotspot is now extinct,{{efn|If the hotspot was still active, it would be located at {{coord|10|S|124|W}}.{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}}}}{{sfn|Chuanshun|Yucheng|Anchun|Batiza|2008|p=460}} although an unusually shallow ocean region around {{coord|0|S|148|W}} may be a remnant of the Euterpe hotspot.<ref name="Emiliani2005" />

Some of the ridges in the Musicians Seamounts have much younger ages, 53 to 52 million years ago by [[argon-argon dating]]{{sfn|O'Connor|Hoernle|Müller|Morgan|2015|p=393}} and continuing to 48 to 47 million years ago.{{sfn|O'Connor|Hoernle|Müller|Morgan|2015|p=394}} This volcanism occurred at the time of major changes in the motion of the [[Pacific plate]]; stresses occurring within the plate may have reactivated the Musicians volcanoes and resulted in this late stage activity.{{sfn|O'Connor|Hoernle|Müller|Morgan|2015|p=395}} One [[earthquake]] has been recorded in the province during historical time.<ref name="WysessionOkal1991" />

=== Geologic context ===
About 10,000 [[seamount]]s and islands are estimated to dot the floor of the Pacific Ocean, forming clusters and chains.{{sfn|Clague|Dalrymple|1975|p=305}} The origin of chains of seamounts and islands is commonly explained with the [[hotspot (geology)|hotspot]] hypothesis, which posits that as the [[crust (geology)|crust]] migrates above a stationary hotspot volcanism forms these structures. A further hypothesis, which is known now to be an approximation, supposed that the hotspots, sourced from [[mantle plume]]s, are static with respect to each other and thus geologists can reconstruct the history of [[plate tectonics|plate]] movement by analyzing the tracks traced on the crust by hotspots.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=187}} Later tectonic therapy allows for mantle plume shifts.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.1 Euterpe Hotspot track}}

The [[Pacific Ocean]] contains a number of seamount and island chains,{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=187}} some of which have been attributed to hotspots such as the [[Cobb hotspot]], [[Caroline Islands|Caroline]] hotspot, [[Hawaiian hotspot]], [[Marquesas hotspot]], [[Tahiti hotspot]], [[Pitcairn hotspot]], [[Macdonald hotspot]] and [[Louisville hotspot]].{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=188}} Not all of these hotspots are necessarily fed by a deep continuous mantle plume; some may be nourished by discrete batches of melting material that rise through the mantle.{{sfn|Pringle|1993|p=212}} Other chains may be controlled by mantle flow towards a [[spreading ridge]], which has been proposed for the Musicians chain,<ref name="Weeraratne2003" /> as mentioned in the earlier VER discussion.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1.2 Volcanic elongated ridges}}

The [[lithosphere]] that the Musicians seamounts formed on is known from magnetic data to be between 121.4 and 83.65 million years old (Cretaceous normal superchron, C34n) except for the easternmost tip of the southern VERs which is C33r so is somewhere between 83.65 and about 79 million years old.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=2. Geologic setting}} It formed from ancient Pacific-Farallon plate spreading centers to the south-east of the Euterpe hotspot.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=2. Geologic setting}}  Pacific plate motion was stable in its general north-west vector from the initial formation of the Northwest Cluster,{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1. Origin of the Musician Seamount Province}} and can be calculated to be {{convert|42|±|9|km|abbr=on}}/million years.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}} This constrains the early change in Pacific plate rotation pole (where before this the local Pacific plate direction of movement was towards the west){{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1. Origin of the Musician Seamount Province}} to before 98 million years ago.,{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}} The seamount alignment in the southern chain bends at about 81 million age and this correlates with the 79 million years ago bend in the northern [[Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain]], just north of the [[Detroit Seamount]].{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.2. New insights into Pacific Plate motion in the late cretaceous}} After this the local vector direction of the Pacific plate was towards the north.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=5.1. Origin of the Musician Seamount Province}} Other evidence has suggested that the next change in Pacific plate rotation poles was between 54 and 47 million years ago which may have allowed extension volcanism in the southern part of the chain.{{sfn|Balbas|Jung|Konrad|2023|loc=Abstract}}

== Biology ==
[[Deep sea coral]]s and [[sponge]]s grow on the Musicians Seamounts;<ref name="OKOverture2017" /> corals identified include ''[[Antipathes]]'', ''[[Acanthogorgia]]'', [[Chrysogorgiidae|chrysogorgidae]], ''[[Hemicorallium]]'', [[isididae]], <!--''Metalagorgia''{{Typo help inline|reason=no such genus|date=July 2021}}, -->''[[Paracalyptrophora]]'', ''[[Pleurogorgia]]'' and [[Primnoidae|primnoids]], while sponges include ''[[Caulophacus]]'', ''[[Hyalostylus]]'', ''[[Poliopogon]]'' and ''[[Saccocalyx (sponge)|Saccocalyx]]''. In some places true "coral forests" grow on the seamounts.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=19-20}} Very high-density sessile [[cnidaria]] communities are found on Mussorgsky Seamount, Beethoven Ridge and Rapano Seamount at about {{convert|2000|m|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=19-20}} On the Beethoven Ridge which is the deeper of these three at between {{convert|2300|and|2531|m|abbr=on}}, the dominant species by far are [[anthomastus]] corals and the sponge density is also very high.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=20}} Mussorgsky Seamount is predominantly a community of [[Narella]] (35%), [[Primnoidae]] (20%) and Keratosidinae (15%) while Mendelssohn Seamount has almost a 75% Keratosidinae deep sea coral predominance.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=20}}  Moderate sessile cnidaria density is present on Debussy Seamount, Paganini Seamount, Schumann Seamount, Mendelssohn Seamount, Wagner Seamount, Shostakovich Seamount and Sibelius Seamount.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=20}} Lower density communities tend to be found at the deeper seamounts such as Mozart {{convert|3571|-|3849|m|abbr=on}} and Verdi {{convert|3008|-|3092|m|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Parke|Kelley|Putts|Moriwaki|2021|pp=20}}

Animal species observed on the seamounts by [[remotely operated vehicle]]s include [[amphipod]]s, [[anemone]]s, [[anglerfish]], [[arrow worm]]s, [[bristlemouth]]s, [[brittle star]]s, [[cephalopod]]s, [[chiron]]s, [[Codling (fish)|codling fish]], [[ctenophore]]s, [[crinoid]]s, [[cusk eel]]s, [[Fangtooth|fangtooth fish]], [[halosaur]]s, [[jellyfish]], [[larvacean]]s, [[piglet squid]], [[polychaete]]s, [[ribbon worm]]s, [[sea cucumber]]s, [[sea elephant]]s, [[sea pen]]s, [[sea spider]]s, [[sea star]]s, [[shrimp]], [[siphonophore]]s, [[spider crab]]s, [[squat lobster]]s, [[Sea urchin|urchin]]s and [[zoanthids]].<ref name="OKDU2018" />
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Pillow balls on Mozart Seamount.jpg|Pillow balls on Mozart Seamount
File:Corals on Mussorgsky Seamount.jpg|Corals on Mussorgsky Seamount
File:Corals, Debussy Seamount.jpg|Corals on Debussy Seamount
File:Bolosoma sp. on Sibelius Seamount.jpg|Bolosoma sp. on Sibelius Seamount
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Geologists Seamounts]]

== Notes ==

{{notelist|
refs=<!-- do not use refs= functionality as  bug in list based functionality if a note is subsequently referenced - inline works fine--->
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
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<ref name="WysessionOkal1991">{{cite journal |last1=Wysession |first1=Michael E. |last2=Okal |first2=Emile A. |last3=Miller |first3=Kristin L. |title=Intraplate seismicity of the Pacific Basin, 1913?1988 |journal=Pure and Applied Geophysics |date=February 1991 |volume=135 |issue=2 |page=321 |doi=10.1007/BF00880241 |bibcode=1991PApGe.135..261W |s2cid=129095207 }}</ref>
<ref name="Watts2010">{{cite book |last1=Watts |first1=Anthony B. |title=Treatise on Geophysics, Volume 6: Crust and Lithosphere Dynamics |date=2010 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=9780444535726 |page=40 |language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="Emiliani2005">{{cite book |last1=Emiliani |first1=Cesare |title=The Oceanic Lithosphere |date=2005 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=9780674017368 |page=481 |language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="MarineRegions2">{{cite web|title=Marine Gazetteer Placedetails: Musicians Seamounts|url=http://marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=7448|website=Marine Regions|publisher=[[Flanders Marine Institute]]|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="MarineRegions">{{cite web|title=Marine Gazetteer geographic name search|url=http://marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=search|website=Marine Regions|publisher=[[Flanders Marine Institute]]|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="OKDU2018">{{cite web|title=Daily Updates|url=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1708/dailyupdates/dailyupdates.html|website=Okeanos Explorer|publisher=[[NOAA]]|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="OKOverture2017">{{cite web|title=Overture to the Musicians Seamounts|url=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1708/logs/sept9/welcome.html|website=Okeanos Explorer|publisher=[[NOAA]]|access-date=18 March 2018|date=9 September 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="FreymullerKellogg1992">{{cite book|last1=Freymueller|first1=Jeffrey T.|last2=Kellogg|first2=James N.|title=Geology and Offshore Mineral Resources of the Central Pacific Basin |chapter=Isostasy and Tectonic Origins of Pacific Seamounts |volume=14|date=1992|pages=44–45|doi=10.1007/978-1-4612-2896-7_4|publisher=Springer, New York, NY|language=en|series=Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources Earth Science Series|isbn=978-0-387-97771-3}}</ref>
<ref name="Clouard2005">{{cite book|first1 =V.|last1 =Clouard|first2 =A.|last2 =Bonneville|chapter =Ages of seamounts, islands, and plateaus on the Pacific plate|year =2005 |editor-last1 =Foulger|editor-first1 =G.R.|editor-last2 =Natland|editor-first2 =J.H.|editor-last3 =Presnall|editor-first3 =D.C.|editor-last4 =Anderson|editor-first4 =D.L.|title=Plates, plumes, and paradigms:Geological Society of America Special Paper 388|publisher=Geological Society of America|pages=71–90|chapter-url=https://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/brown/downloads/ESS403/01Lab/clouard_gsa2005.pdf|access-date=25 January 2024|doi =10.1130/0-8137-2388-4.71|isbn =978-0-8137-2388-4}}p. 78</ref>
<ref name="Andreyev2010">{{cite journal|last1=Andreyev|first1=S. I.|title=Sedimentation Rates in Areas of Nodule Formation in the Pacific Ocean|last2=Kulikov|first2=A. N.|last3=Anikeyeva|first3=L. I.|journal=International Geology Review|date=29 June 2010|volume=29|issue=9|page=1095|doi=10.1080/00206818709466203}}</ref>
<ref name="Rea1970">{{cite journal|last1=Rea|first1=David K.|title=Changes in structure and trend of fracture zones north of the Hawaiian Ridge and relation to sea-floor spreading|journal= Journal of Geophysical Research|date=10 March 1970|volume=75|issue=8|page=1421|doi=10.1029/JB075i008p01421|bibcode=1970JGR....75.1421R}}</ref>
<ref name="Dixon1983">{{cite journal|last1=Dixon|first1=T. H.|last2=Naraghi|first2=M.|author-link3=Marcia McNutt|last3=McNutt|first3=M. K.|last4=Smith|first4=S. M.|title=Bathymetric prediction from SEASAT altimeter data|journal= Journal of Geophysical Research|date=1983|volume=88|issue=C3|pages=1563|doi=10.1029/jc088ic03p01563|url=https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/529|bibcode=1983JGR....88.1563D}}<!--https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1528&context=geo_facpub--></ref>
<ref name="Weeraratne2003">{{Cite journal|last1=Weeraratne|first1=D. S.|last2=Parmentier|first2=E. M.|last3=Forsyth|first3=D. W.|title=Viscous Fingering of Miscible Fluids in Laboratory Experiments and the Oceanic Mantle Asthenosphere|journal=AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts|volume=2003|pages=V21B–03|date=1 December 2003|bibcode=2003AGUFM.V21B..03W}}</ref>
}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal|title =The origin of the Musicians Seamount Province and its inferences for Late Cretaceous Pacific Plate Motion|journal =Marine Geology|volume =465|last1= Balbas|last2 =Jung|last3 = Konrad|year =2023|number =107166|doi =10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107166|first1 =A.|first2 =C.|first3 =K.|doi-access =free}}
* {{cite report|last1=Cantwell|first1=K.|last2=Smith|first2=J.R.|last3=Putts|first3=M.|last4=White|first4=M.P.|last5=Cantelas|first5=F|last6=Bowman|first6=A.|year=2020
|title=EX-17-08 Expedition Report: Deep-Sea Symphony: Exploring the Musicians Seamounts (ROV/Mapping)|publisher=Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA Silver Spring, MD20910|series=OER Expedition Cruise Report. EX-17-08|pages=64|doi=10.25923/pvw9-b391}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Chuanshun|first1=Li|last2=Yucheng|first2=Pan|last3=Anchun|first3=Li|last4=Batiza|first4=Rodey|title=Geochemistry of the lava and its implications in Musicians Seamounts|journal=Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology|date=1 November 2008|volume=26|issue=4|pages=459–468|doi=10.1007/s00343-008-0459-8|language=en|issn=0254-4059|bibcode=2008ChJOL..26..459L|s2cid=140690439}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Clague|first1=David A.|last2=Dalrymple|first2=G. Brent|title=Cretaceous K-Ar ages of volcanic rocks from the Musicians Seamounts and the Hawaiian Ridge|journal= Geophysical Research Letters|date=July 1975|volume=2|issue=7|pages=305–308|doi=10.1029/gl002i007p00305|bibcode=1975GeoRL...2..305C}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Freedman|first1=Adam P.|last2=Parsons|first2=Barry|title=Seasat-derived gravity over the Musicians Seamounts|journal= Journal of Geophysical Research|date=1986|volume=91|issue=B8|pages=8325|doi=10.1029/JB091iB08p08325|bibcode=1986JGR....91.8325F}}
* {{cite journal|last1=O'Connor|first1=John M.|last2=Hoernle|first2=Kaj|last3=Müller|first3=R. Dietmar|last4=Morgan|first4=Jason P.|last5=Butterworth|first5=Nathaniel P.|last6=Hauff|first6=Folkmar|last7=Sandwell|first7=David T.|last8=Jokat|first8=Wilfried|last9=Wijbrans|first9=Jan R.|last10=Stoffers|first10=Peter|title=Deformation-related volcanism in the Pacific Ocean linked to the Hawaiian–Emperor bend|journal=Nature Geoscience|date=2015|volume=8|issue=5|pages=393–397|doi=10.1038/ngeo2416|language=En|issn=1752-0908|citeseerx=10.1.1.731.7411|bibcode=2015NatGe...8..393O}}
* {{cite book|last1=Pringle|first1=Malcolm S.|title= The Mesozoic Pacific: Geology, Tectonics, and Volcanism: A Volume in Memory of Sy Schlanger|volume=77|date=1993|pages=187–215|doi=10.1029/GM077p0187|language=en|series=Geophysical Monograph Series|isbn=978-0-87590-036-0|chapter=Age progressive volcanism in the Musicians Seamounts: A test of the hot spot hypothesis for the Late Cretaceous Pacific}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Rea|first1=David K.|last2=Naugler|first2=Frederic P.|title=Musicians seamount province and related crustal structures north of the Hawaiian ridge|journal=Marine Geology|date=February 1971|volume=10|issue=2|pages=89–111|doi=10.1016/0025-3227(71)90048-X|language=en|issn=0025-3227|bibcode=1971MGeol..10...89R}}
* {{cite report|title =Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program: Pacific Islands Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative Final Report. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-117|first1 =M.|last1 =Parke|first2 =C.|last2= Kelley|first3 =M.|last3 =Putts|first4 =V.|last4 =Moriwaki|first5 =S.|last5 =Bingo|first6 =K.|last6 =Elliot|first7 =J.|last7 =Smith|first8 =A.|last8 =Montgomery|first9 =F.|last9 =Parrish|first10 =S. |last10 =Kahng|first11 =A.|last11 =Baco-Taylor|first12 =B.|last12 = Roark|first13 =D.|last13 =Wagner|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center|doi =10.25923/j6vh-ca45|year=2021|pages=19–27|doi-access=free|chapter =Main Hawaiian Islands and Musicians Seamounts Summary}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{cite thesis|author=Pringle, Malcolm|year=1991|title=Geochronology and petrology of the Musicians Seamounts: The search for hot spot volcanism in the Cretaceous Pacific. Ph.D. Dissertation|publisher= University of Hawaii at Manoa|url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/878c8e89-0dd5-4a30-a62a-6fe593155d96 |access-date=24 January 2024}}
* [http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1708/logs/photolog/welcome.html Deep-Sea Symphony: Exploring the Musicians Seamounts] - NOAA expedition to the seamounts.

{{Commons category|Musicians Seamounts}}

[[Category:Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Submarine volcanoes]]
[[Category:Seamounts of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Cretaceous volcanism]]
[[Category:Eocene volcanism]]
[[Category:Seamount chains]]