MANOA, HAWAII — Researchers have found the Earth's largest and hottest volcano northwest of Honolulu in the central northern Pacific.<br /><br />The shield volcano Puhahonu is mostly submerged, with only a third of its volume above the sea level as atolls named the Gardner Pinnacles. Puhahonu means "turtle surfacing for air" in Hawaiin. <br /><br />Writing in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, scientists say the research vessel Falkor charted the ocean with sonar and gravity mapping technology.<br /><br />According to the survey, Puhahonu is 90 km wide and 275 km long, or twice the size of Mauna Loa, formerly the world's largest known volcano.<br /><br />Scientists say the shield volcano's size was probably the result of abundant magma flowing from a very hot spot in the mantle. The temperature of the magma that created the Puhahonu is suggested by the forsterite content that is the highest among Hawaii's volcanoes.<br /> <br />According to the study, Puhahonu is so massive that the Earth's crust and mantle buckled under its weight, which sank the bulk of the volcano under the sea.
