THE NEXT ICE AGE - NOW!

9 Jan 06 – The plateau is located in the Mid Ridge in the Indian Ocean about 500 miles east of Mauritius, said Professor Tamaki Ura, director of the University of Tokyo's Underwater Technology Research Center.

"This is presumed to be not only the biggest lava plateau in the Indian Ocean but also one of the biggest in the world," Ura said. Their submersible vehicle "also spotted hydrothermal eruptions on the northern part." (In other words, it’s volcanically active!)

Measuring about 8.8 miles by 1.7 miles at a depth of about 8,860 feet, the plateau is covered with lava some 980 feet thick.