Volcanodle
Puzzle #71 was Esmeralda Bank.
Esmeralda Bank is a massive submarine volcano with three cones oriented N-S over about 15 km. The high points on the crater rim of the large middle edifice, with a collapse scarp open to the W, are about 75 m below the ocean surface. Frequent sulfur-rich surface bubbling and water discoloration have been observed, which have variously been attributed to eruptive events or fumarolic activity.
Read about it at the Global Volcanism Program →
Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution
What the record says
Puzzle 71 ran on 18 Sep 2026 and the answer was Esmeralda Bank, played with 6 guesses against 8 columns. On the record: Country - United States; Region - Northwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions; Type - stratovolcano; Tectonic setting - subduction; Elevation - submarine; Rock type - basalt; Historically observed - not-observed. 1 of the 8 columns is blank in the source (Last eruption), so nobody could score it either way.
Beyond the grid the record adds Largest recorded eruption - VEI 2; Holocene eruptions recorded - 6 eruptions.
Volcanodle builds its record from Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution (Venzke, E. (ed.), Volcanoes of the World, volcano.si.edu). The description above comes from the same place the game credits on every reveal: A verbatim excerpt of the volcano's GVP Geological Summary. The puzzle itself is still playable in the archive, and every answer that has been and gone is listed on the past-answers page.
How it scored
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Northwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions
- Type
- stratovolcano
- Tectonic setting
- subduction
- Elevation
- submarine
- Last eruption
- Not recorded
- Rock type
- basalt
- Historically observed
- not-observed
Also on the record
- Largest recorded eruption
- VEI 2
- Holocene eruptions recorded
- 6 eruptions