An international team of volcanologists has identified 73 previously unknown volcanic calderas on the ocean floor using an AI algorithm. These giant crater-like depressions form when the Earth’s crust collapses above an emptied magma chamber. This discovery has tripled the number of officially documented submarine calderas. The research was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment (CEE).
A caldera is a much larger structure than a crater: it forms when a volcano ejects a large volume of magma, and the surface above the emptied chamber collapses inward. The diameters of calderas can reach several tens of kilometers. What is the danger of submarine calderas? They can generate tsunamis, shock waves, and ash emissions, as exemplified by the powerful eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022.
Previously, scientists had documented fewer than 30 such structures underwater. However, volcanologist Andrea Verolino from the University of Paris-Saclay managed to adapt an algorithm originally created for detecting impact craters on Mars, applying it to bathymetric maps (maps of the seafloor topography).
The program initially identified 87,435 candidates. After applying filters and manual verification, 78 potential calderas remained. Five of these had already been recorded in catalogs, confirming the method’s effectiveness, leaving 73 new objects.
Of these, 61 are located not at tectonic plate boundaries, but in interior regions, along chains of seamounts. Nine lie in volcanic arcs, and eight are situated on mid-ocean ridges.
The authors emphasize that there are seven calderas whose locations and shapes require urgent study, as they pose a serious volcanic hazard.
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