How AI Helped Scientists Find 73 Unknown Volcanic Calderas Beneath Earth's Oceans

AI helped researchers locate 73 previously unknown volcanic calderas beneath Earth’s oceans, a discovery detailed in Communications Earth & Environment. The team, led by volcanologist Andrea Verolino of Paris-Saclay University, adapted an AI system originally designed to identify impact craters on Mars. After scanning seafloor maps, the algorithm flagged more than 87,000 possible formations; additional filtering and manual review narrowed this to 78 likely calderas, including five already known and 73 entirely new ones. If confirmed, the findings would more than triple the number of documented submarine calderas. Most candidates lie away from tectonic plate boundaries in underwater seamount mountain chains, and the researchers flagged seven for immediate follow-up due to their size, depth, and location.