The Shatsky Rise is Earth's third largest oceanic plateau,[1] (after Ontong Java and Kerguelen) located in the north-west Pacific Ocean 1,500 km (930 mi) east of Japan. It is one of a series of Pacific Cretaceous large igneous provinces (LIPs) together with Hess Rise, Magellan Rise, and Ontong Java-Manihiki-Hikurangi.[2] It was named for Nikolay Shatsky (1895-1960), a Soviet geologist, expert in tectonics of ancient platforms.
The rise consists of three large volcanic massifs, Tamu, Ori, and Shirshov, but, in contrast, there are few traces of magmatism on the surrounding ocean floor.[3] Tamu Massif is likely the largest volcano yet discovered on Earth.[4] In 2016, a study found that Tamu Massif covered the entire Shatsky Rise, meaning that the volcano had a surface area of 533,000 square kilometres (206,000 sq mi), surpassing Olympus Mons in terms of surface area.[5]
- ^ Geldmacher et al. 2014, Geological background and Exp. 324 drilling results, p. 1
- ^ Ingle et al. 2007, Fig. 1a, p. 595
- ^ Sager 2005, Tectonic History, pp. 725–726
- ^ Sager et al. 2013, Abstract
- ^ Stephen Chen (24 March 2016). "Tamu Massif even more massive: world's largest volcano almost same size as Japan, widest in solar system". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2 July 2019.