The Kerguelen Plateau (/ˈkɜrɡələn/, /kərˈɡeɪlən/) is an underwater volcanic large igneous province (LIP)[2] and also a microcontinent and submerged continent in the southern Indian Ocean. It lies about 3,000 km to the southwest of Australia and is nearly three times the size of Japan. The plateau extends for more than 2,200 km in a northwest-southeast direction and lies in deep water.