Jeremy Weirich, the operating officer on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Okeanos Explorer, said the volcano was found while crew members were testing a new mapping program on underwater topography 200 miles off the Washington coast, The Seattle Times said Monday.

"It turns out we had this great volcano in the spot we were testing," Weirich said.

The discovery of the large underwater volcano was not an entire surprise to researchers as NOAA scientists have estimated that 95 percent of the world's oceans haven't been explored.

Craig Russell, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research program coordinator, said such previously undiscovered underwater wonders as the volcano help scientists better understand the world.

Meanwhile, Weirich remained optimistic regarding future findings off the state's coastline.

"There are still discoveries to be made off the coast of Seattle," he told the Times.

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