A Hidden Supervolcano Has Just Been Discovered in the Middle of Europe

Tuscany is known for vineyards, old towns, and postcard landscapes. But beneath part of that quiet scenery, scientists have now mapped something far stranger.

A huge body of magma has been hiding deep under one of Europe’s most familiar regions. Researchers studying the Larderello geothermal system found a vast magma reservoir buried around 5 to 9 miles below the surface.

The system stretches across roughly 3,728 cubic miles, and its size is comparable to magma systems beneath known supervolcanoes such as Yellowstone, Taupō, and Long Valley.