The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth - or is it?

The following articles hit the newswires, starting on September 6:

• NSF - Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth
• National Geogrpahic News - New Giant Volcano Below Sea Is Largest in the World
• NPR - Deep In The Pacific, Scientists Discover Biggest Volcano On Earth

However, NPR quickly updated their article with the following statement:

NPR's Joyce cautions that Sager's team has only surveyed a small part of Tamu Massif and that it will take further examination to convince the scientific community its deserving of the "world's biggest" title.

Stay tuned for updates on this discovery, still a significant find (it is not every day scientists find a volcano the size of New Mexico!).