Originally published on September 6, 2013 A recently discovered volcano could be the second largest in our solar system. Tamu Massif is an extinct, shield type volcano 1600km east of Japan. The area of its basalt dome is approximately equal to Great Britain and Ireland added together, or over 100,000 square kilometers. That is comparable to Mars' Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in our solar system. Tamu Massif formed around 145 million years ago. It's peak is about two kilometers below sea level, and its peak is 4.4km above the sea floor. By comparison, Olympus Mons would rise over 20km above the sea floor on Earth. William Sager, lead author of the paper which identified Tamu Massif as a single volcano, named the volcano after Texas A&M University, where he worked while researching it. Tamu Massif, part of the Shatskiy Rise in the northwestern Pacific, was previously thought to be comprised of many smaller volcanos in close proximity to one another. Researchers studied the lava formations of its dome and discovered that the entire dome is composed of the same type of rock, all with the same geologic age. That discovery lead to the conclusion that Tamu Massif is a single volcano. According to Sager, other oceanic plateaus on Earth which were thought to be comprised of multiple volcanoes could likewise be the the product of individual, massive volcanoes. -------------------------------------------------------- TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world. For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS Stay connected with us here: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
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