What is the largest volcano on Earth?
Quick answer
By volume, the largest known volcano on Earth is Pūhāhonu, a mostly underwater shield volcano in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. A 2020 study estimated its volume at about 148,000 km³, slightly larger than Mauna Loa on Hawaii’s Big Island, which had long held the record. Mauna Loa remains the largest active volcano.
The top contenders
| Volcano | Where | Volume (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pūhāhonu | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands | 148,000 km³ | Extinct; only two small rocks (Gardner Pinnacles) break the surface |
| Mauna Loa | Big Island, Hawaii | About 75,000–80,000 km³ above the seafloor; larger counting its sunken base | Largest active volcano; erupted in 2022 |
| Tamu Massif | Pacific Ocean, off Japan | Once called the biggest | Later studies suggest it’s not a single volcano |
Volume depends on how scientists measure the part buried under the seafloor, so estimates vary.
Pūhāhonu
The name means “turtle rising for breath” in Hawaiian, because its two small summit rocks look like a turtle surfacing. Scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi mapped it with sonar and gravity measurements. It formed about 12–14 million years ago, when the Hawaiian hotspot was especially productive.
Mauna Loa
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Height above sea level | 4,169 m |
| Base to summit | About 9,000 m, partly because it pushes the seafloor down |
| Eruptions | More than 30 since 1843; the latest in November–December 2022 |
| Type | Shield volcano: broad, gentle slopes from runny lava |
Its neighbor Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on Earth measured from base to peak, about 10,200 m.
Largest volcano in the solar system
On Mars, Olympus Mons is about 2.5 times as tall as Everest and roughly the size of Arizona; see the tallest volcano in the solar system.
Where the world’s volcanoes are
Most volcanoes lie along the edges of tectonic plates, especially the Pacific Ring of Fire, but Hawaii’s sit in the middle of a plate above a hotspot. For the country with the most active volcanoes, see which country has the most active volcanoes.
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