Tamu Massif Revealed as Earth's Largest Single Volcano
Scientists confirm the Tamu Massif in the Pacific’s Shatsky Rise is the largest single volcano on Earth, a flat, shield‑shaped structure formed about 145 million years ago and spanning roughly 120,000 square miles, with its summit about 6,500 feet below the ocean surface and its base near four miles deep. Previously treated as separate mounds, it is now seen as one continuous volcanic system revealed by seismic-reflection data, reshaping how we understand oceanic plateaus.