Huge undersea volcano mapped off Indonesia

London, July 14 (ANI): A huge undersea volcano has been found off the coast of Indonesian by a US-Indonesia joint expedition.

The volcano, which is 3000 metres above the sea floor but remains below sea level, was found off the island of Sulawesi and has been named Kawio Barat.

It is not confirmed whether the volcano is active.

"This is a huge undersea volcano, taller than all but three or four mountains in Indonesia," the expedition's US chief Jim Holden said in an official statement.

Indonesia lies on the Ring of Fire, which is a strip of volcanoes and seismically-active regions that runs around the Pacific Ocean.

The current expedition, NOAA Ocean Explorer, is examining the deep ocean using powerful sonar and an underwater robot equipped with high-definition video, according to The Guardian, reports New Scientist.

6200 square kilometres of seafloor has been mapped in the expedition's first month, and it will continue till August 14 2010. (ANI)