Tamu Massif

Temu Massif
A bathymetric map of the volcano
Map
Summit depth1,980 metres (6,500 ft)[1]
Height4,460 metres (14,620 ft)[1]
Location
LocationNorthwest Pacific Ocean
RangeShatsky Rise
Coordinates33°N 158°E / 33°N 158°E / 33; 158
Geology
TypeSeamount (underwater volcano), shield volcano
Age of rock144.6 ± 0.8 Ma[2]

Tamu Massif is a seamount in the northwest Pacific Ocean,[3] sitting atop a triple junction of mid-ocean ridges.[1] Tamu Massif is located in the Shatsky Rise about 1,600 km (990 mi) east of Japan. The massif covers an area of about 553,000 square kilometres (214,000 sq mi). Its summit is about 1,980 m (6,500 ft) below the surface of the ocean, and its base extends to about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) deep.[1] It is about 4,460 metres (14,620 ft) tall.

* Tamu
  Massif
Shatsky Rise
Emperor Seamounts Chain
Hawaiian Ridge
Japan
Kamchatka
Alaska
* Tamu
  Massif
Shatsky Rise
Emperor Seamounts Chain
Hawaiian Ridge
Japan
Kamchatka
Alaska
Location of Tamu Massif[4][5]

William Sager, a marine geophysicist from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston, began studying Tamu Massif around 1993 at the Texas A&M College of Geosciences. In September 2013, Sager and his team concluded that Tamu Massif is "the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth". Other igneous features on the planet are larger, such as the Ontong Java Plateau, but it has not yet been determined if they are indeed just one volcano or rather complexes of several volcanoes.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Dennis Bryant (2013-09-05). "Possibly the largest single volcano on Earth". Maritime Magazine. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  2. ^ J. J. Mahoney (2005). "Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary age and mid-ocean-ridge–type mantle source for Shatsky Rise". Geology. 33 (3): 185. Bibcode:2005Geo....33..185M. doi:10.1130/G21378.1.
  3. ^ Witze, Alexandra (5 September 2013). "Underwater volcano is Earth's biggest". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2013.13680.
  4. ^ Rik Myslewski (2013-09-05). "The Solar System's second-largest volcano found hiding on Earth". theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  5. ^ "Bottomfish fisheries by Japan, Russia, and Republic of Korea occur on various seamounts in the northwest Pacific within international waters". pifsc.noaa.gov. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  6. ^ "Scientists Confirm Existence of Largest Single Volcano On Earth". ScienceDaily. 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2013-09-07.