Holy crap -- a big volcano
Say hello to the Tamu Massif - from
Watts Up With That:
Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth � Massive underwater volcano rivals biggest in solar system
From the National Science Foundation newsroom:
September 6, 2013
The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth.
Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the State of New Mexico, Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the solar system.
�This is an amazing discovery, and overturns previous conclusions that Earth cannot support the development of such giant volcanoes because it lacks a thick and rigid planetary lithosphere,� says Jamie Allan, program director in the National Science Foundation�s Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
�Much remains to be discovered about our planet,� says Allan, �with scientific drilling offering a means of observation and discovery into otherwise inaccessible parts of the Earth.�
Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of Shatsky Rise, an underwater mountain range formed 145-130 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.
A bit more -- the Tamu Massif is not that high but it is very broad:
By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa--the largest active volcano on Earth--is a mere 2,000 square miles, or less than 2 percent the size of Tamu Massif.
Big!
Posted by DaveH at September 6, 2013 3:44 PM