Scientists discovered the Single Largest Volcano beneath the Pacific Ocean

Scientists discovered the single largest volcano in the world, a dead colossus deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. The single largest volcano is called Tamu Massif. It is 310000 square kilometers in area and can be compared with Mars’ vast Olymus Mons volcano, the largest in the Solar System. The volcano was located some 2 km below the sea. The Mauna Loa in Hawaii was the previous largest volcano on Earth. The massif is located some 2km below the sea.

It is located on an underwater plateau known as the Shatsky Rise, about 1600km east of Japan. Its formation took place about 145 million years ago when massive lava flows erupted from the centre of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like feature.

Tamu Massif was constructed in a short (geologically speaking) time of one to several million years and it was extinct since. The Tamu Massif extends some 30 km (18 miles) into the Earth's crust.