Scientists confirm existence of largest volcano on Earth, a giant peak the size of New Mexico on Pacific Ocean seafloor

A team led by a University of Houston professor reports the volcano, dubbed the Tamu Massif, is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the Solar System.

Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is part of an underwater mountain range formed 130 to 145 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.

It had been unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano, or a composite of many eruption points, but the researchers say they've confirmed the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center.

"Tamu Massif is the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth," Houston earth and atmospheric science Professor William Sager, the leader of the study, said. "There may be larger volcanoes, because there are bigger igneous features out there such as the Ontong Java Plateau, but we don't know if these features are one volcano or complexes of volcanoes."



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