The Antarctic ice sheet hides a large volcano system comparable to those found in eastern Africa and North America. Over the years of studying Antarctica, scientists have discovered 47 volcanoes. Now, experts from the University of Edinburgh have discovered a cluster of another 91 volcanoes 2 km below the level of the West Antarctic ice sheet. They spoke about the discovery in a publication on website Geological Society of London.

“If any of these volcanoes erupt, it will destabilize the glaciers in western Antarctica.

Anything that can cause ice to melt, especially a volcanic eruption, will cause the melted ice to flow out to sea. So the big question is how active these volcanoes are.

We need to find out as soon as possible,” says glaciologist Robert Bingham, one of the study’s authors.

To detect volcanoes, researchers use radars mounted on aircraft and ground-based vehicles, studied the surface of the continent hidden under the ice. Next, they compared the data obtained with satellite images and information already available in databases.

The height of the volcanoes found by experts ranges from 100 to 2850 m, diameter - from 1600 to 5400 m. All of them are covered with a layer of ice, the thickness of which reaches 4 km, and occupy an area of ​​3500 km in the west of Antarctica, from the Ross Ice Shelf to the Antarctic Peninsula .

“We didn't expect to find something like this,” Bingham says. “Now the number of known volcanoes in Antarctica has almost tripled.

We also suspect that there are many volcanoes beneath the Ross Glacier. This region may have the largest concentration of volcanoes in the world."

Researchers cannot yet determine whether any of the new volcanoes are active. However, they hope that their work will serve as the basis for further research that will find out.

They are also not inclined to believe that past volcanic activity could have any influence on the modern retreat of glaciers. However, she may play a role in their retreat in the future. This, for example, happened in Iceland - the melting of ice was facilitated by increased temperatures due to volcanic activity. Other problems are also possible - a decrease in ice thickness per kilometer can provoke volcanic activity, which is also observed in Iceland.

On the other hand, the very presence of volcanic cones can slow down the movement of glaciers. Ice moves downward until there are obstacles in its path, and volcanoes can become just such an obstacle for it.

As the team notes, several volcanoes were discovered that may have already become a significant deterrent in the past and will serve them in the future.

Let us recall that a month ago in the west of Antarctica, from the Larsen C glacier, a giant iceberg weighing 1 trillion tons and an area of ​​6 thousand square meters. km, which is comparable to a quarter of the territory of Wales. Scientists have been waiting for the iceberg, named A68, to break off since 2011, when the crack was first discovered. The break stretched for almost 200 km, separating an iceberg of 10% of its area from the main body of the glacier. But an iceberg can last for decades.

The glacier itself will collapse. Satellite images show that cracks are getting bigger. They formed even before A68 broke off, and scientists did not know along which line the separation would occur.

Now, 11 more icebergs have formed near the fault line, the largest of which reaches 10 km in length.

Iceberg A68, meanwhile, had already moved 5 km away from the glacier. Scientists are concerned that it may break into smaller pieces.

In the southern sector of the map of Antarctica, the Erebus stratovolcano is indicated - the second highest on Earth. The English discoverers named it after the Greek god - a symbol of darkness generated by Chaos.

The planet's south pole has many extinct, dormant and active volcanoes. The thickness of the ice in the central part of the continent is so enormous that under its weight the land has bent almost 1 km. Only along the perimeter, as well as on the adjacent islands, were underground forces able to break through the ice sheet and splash out in the form of volcanoes, hot geysers, and fumaroles.

Volcano Erebus on the map is surrounded by three cooled brethren on the South Antarctic Ross Island in the sea of ​​the same name, near Victoria Land.

Description of the volcano: height, diameter and depth of the crater, age

Erebus is a stratovolcano characterized by layering from multiple explosive eruptions. For 1.3 million years, streams of magma have accumulated, solidifying one after another. To these are added tephra - emissions deposited from the air in the form of bombs and ash, which over time are cemented into a light porous tuff rock.

The study of the structure of the layers also revealed:

  • basalt;
  • phonolite and its variety kenite;
  • trachyte.

Today, the height of the active volcano has reached a zone of rarefied air at a level of 3704 m. Higher is only the extinct, turned into a mountain, Sidley on the Antarctic Mary Byrd Land. With a crater depth of 274 m, the diameter of Erebus is slightly less than 1 km (805 m).

History of volcanic eruptions

The stratovolcano belongs to the West Antarctic Rift System - the McMurdo Group, named after the strait that opens into the Ross Sea. Erebus is fueled by a fiery liquid mass from the geosphere between the core and crust of the Earth, that is, from the upper mantle. According to scientists, igneous deposits at a depth of 200 km have a diameter of about 300 km.


Volcano Erebus is the second highest on Earth. The first is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.

A vertical channel goes down 400 km from the main massif. The magma level rises to the vent at 6 cm/year. At the narrowing bottom of the inner caldera (cauldron) of Erebus there is a permanent lake of red-hot lava. A constant influx supports a sluggish eruption with clouds of steam, ash, and periodic scattering of 10-meter bombs over one and a half kilometers.

When the pressure accumulated from below becomes critical, a short powerful explosion occurs.

Over the next 100 years, 8 explosive eruptions were recorded, the strongest in 1972, the last in 2011. Glowing fireworks of hot stones and crimson smoke reach the height of an 8-story building. Gases escaping through fractures in the earth's crust - hydrogen, methane - invade the ozone layer of the stratosphere and thin it.

As a result, a huge ozone hole is formed over the Ross Sea, over Antarctica, the contour of which follows the configuration of earthly faults. The outflow of lava from the lake, holes in the slopes, connects with geyser (water) fountains, steam and smoke columns from fumaroles. At the same time, the volcanic apocalypse does not completely deplete the magma reserves at the bottom.

If you look into the saluting cauldron, it is visible through the cracks of the cooling black crust. Volcano Erebus on the map of Antarctica is a seismically quiet area. The south pole is not characterized by tectonic movements at all, and volcanism is not accompanied by frequent earthquakes, as on other continents.

Climate and weather

The climatic conditions of Ross Island are polar marine, no different from the Antarctic zone as a whole, since there is a constant circulation of continental air. The main signs are frosty winters, cold summers. Moreover, the change in temperature front is peculiar: the lowest values ​​are in August, the highest for these places are in January.

Key weather marks, °C:

average annual temperature on the northwestern coast of the island -26
same in the southeast -36
average temperature in January -2 – +6
same in July -27
lowest point in August -62
average annual temperature sea ​​water on a surface -1.8°
maximum heating of the top layer of water in summer +2°

The sky is mostly covered with clouds, the proximity of the sea creates humidity up to 80% in the form of fog. There are persistent strong winds from the east over Ross Island. The average annual precipitation is insignificant - only 100 mm. Here, as above the entire South Pole, solar radiation is the highest on the planet.

Natural attractions

On the map, Antarctica is represented as an inexpressive white spot; in reality, there are many unusual natural objects. The slopes of the same volcano Erebus are studded high towers, from which smoke constantly pours out. It seems that someone is heating the stoves inside the mountain. These are fumaroles.

When the volcano calms down, the temperature of the escaping vapors and gases decreases, steam condensate settles around the crack or hole, gradually freezing to a height of 20 m or more.

Ice towers take on the most fantastic shape. New Zealand scientists describe the fumaroles this way: the largest resembles the figure of an astronaut, followed in a procession by the likenesses of people and animals. One fumarole resembled a lion.

From volcanic vapors in the thickness of the ice, caves of extraordinary beauty are formed: with translucent blue arches, white stalactites, arches of various shapes, fancy “stucco” on the walls, huge ice curls. One of the most impressive is the Warren Cave, 12 m deep. The bottom of the cavity was exposed: somewhere soft, wet soil appeared, somewhere - hard rock.

Thick ice walls do not allow light to pass through, but their crystalline surface creates a unique effect: if you turn on the flashlights in pitch darkness, diamond sparks flash, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.

The crater of the volcano itself has its own phenomenon: despite the lake of fire at the bottom, the edges of the cauldron are covered with ice. During an eruption, the ice evaporates, but as soon as activity dies down, the perimeter and slopes again become snow-white.

It’s impossible to imagine, but bacteria live in permafrost. They are found in Antarctic oases, such as the Taylor Valley in Victoria Land. In it, under a 400-meter layer of ice, there is a very non-freezing salt Lake. Its water seeps along the horizon for several kilometers, flows into the lowland, forming a cascading ice “waterfall” of blood-red color.

The life activity of lake microorganisms gives the frightening coloring. Deprived of the opportunity to obtain energy through solar photosynthesis, they switched to chemical ones.

Scientists have identified 3 stages:

  • The lake's sulfuric acid salts - sulfates - are transformed by bacteria into sulfites.
  • Sulfites are oxidized by ferric ions from the bottom soil.
  • After receiving the energy necessary for life, 2-valent iron remains in the water. Oxidized by oxygen when lake water reaches the surface, Fe 2 O 3 colors it red.

Researchers believe that the deep, darkened ecosystem has existed since ancient planet, and its microorganisms develop according to fundamentally different evolutionary mechanisms. Modern instruments can detect bacteria that survive in the sizzling temperatures of the volcano.

Since most microbes die in laboratory conditions, they have learned to describe them using DNA. Thus, it was confirmed that microorganisms live in the hot scree of Erebus. A new task has been set - based on samples from caves and the slopes of the volcano, to prove that frozen bacteria lived in hot lava.

When asked about the most arid places on the planet, most will name deserts. But the correct answer is Antarctic Dry Valleys. Almost 8000 km² of Victoria Land is ironed by winds of a unique speed for the planet - 320 km/h, so neither snow nor ice lingers in some oases.

Historical landmarks

On Cape Evans, Ross Island, the hut of the English polar explorer, Captain R. Scott, still stands. He led a transantarctic expedition of 5 people. and safely brought her to the South Pole by mid-January 1912.

The rejoicing of the discoverers was overshadowed by the sight of the tent with the Norwegian flag, which Amundsen's expedition left a year ago. On the way back, the exhausted, disappointed polar explorers were finished off by frost and physical exhaustion.

Not far from the hut in 1916, a cross was erected on a pile of stones. high ground in memory of the lost expedition of R. Scott.

Interesting historical finds include the diary of D. Levik, a doctor, zoologist, and photographer from R. Scott’s group, discovered in the Antarctic snow in 2013. New Zealand experts in the field of Antarctic heritage restored the pages, soaked under the melted snow, and placed the information on digital media.

The diary was transported to Cape Evans to join the collection of 11 thousand artifacts associated with British polar explorers. The exhibition contains photographs taken by D. Levik on the way to the South Pole.

D. Ross arrived with his crew in Antarctica on 2 ships - Erebus and Terror. On the very first day, travelers witnessed a volcanic eruption. Shocked by the enchanting spectacle, D. Ross marked a fire-breathing mountain on the map under the name Erebus. In company with her is a cold, low shield volcano, 30 km away, called Terror.

Researchers discovered a unique mineral kenite in the lava of the stratovolcano - a glassy mass with lamellar or needle-shaped inclusions of potassium feldspars, aegirine, and olivine. There is a lot of the latter in the structure of some asteroids. Olivine is also a close relative of the precious yellow-green peridot. Kenite is found in rocks ancient mountains Kenya.

In a liquid state heated to 900°, only Erebus spews it. For geologists and volcanologists around the world, this fact is of significant interest.

Volcano Erebus on the map of Ross Island is adjacent to the Church of the Snows (1956). The polar religious building is under the supervision of Americans from the McMurdo polar station. Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Buddhists, Baha'is and other religious movements that have the opportunity to fly to the South Pole hold services in the church.

The white spot of Antarctica on the world map stores a lot interesting secrets and attractions. One of them is the Erebus volcano.

Article format: Lozinsky Oleg

Video about Mount Erebus

What kind of volcano is this, what are its features:

McMurdo is the largest science Center in Antarctica

Antarctic explorer Richard Brad wrote about it: “On the edge of our planet lies, like a sleeping princess, a land clad in blue. Ominous and beautiful, she lies in her frosty slumber, in the folds of the mantle of snow, glowing with amethysts and emeralds of ice. She sleeps in the shimmer of the icy halos of the Moon and the Sun, and her horizons are painted with pink, blue, gold and green pastel tones... This is Antarctica - a continent almost equal in area South America, the inner regions of which are actually known to us less than the illuminated side of the Moon.”



Ross Peninsula and Mount Erebus

McMurdo - largest settlement and a modern scientific center in Antarctica, US owned. McMurdo also serves as largest port and a transportation hub serving other stations and research programs. McMurdo is located next to the Ross Island ice shelf in the Ross Sea.


McMurdo Research Base is built on exposed volcanic rock near an extinct volcano and Observation Hill. The island is also home to the active volcano Erebus, which has a height of 3,794 meters. It is clearly visible from the top of Observation Hill. Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano in the world, covered by glaciers, and has unique lake.


Strong winds, reaching speeds of up to 320 km/h (the highest wind speed on Earth), cause moisture evaporation. Thanks to this, the valleys on the island have been practically free of ice and snow for about 8 million years, which makes geological and other studies convenient.


The dry valleys in the west of the peninsula are so close to natural conditions Mars, that NASA tested the Viking spacecraft there.


August is the coldest month



Penguins and Erebus (on the left in the photo)


Penguins and Volcano Erebus

Volcano Erebus is located at the intersection of faults in the earth's crust and is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. From these faults, powerful emissions of deep gases periodically occur, including hydrogen and methane, which, reaching the stratosphere, destroy ozone. The minimum thickness of the ozone layer is observed over the Ross Sea, where the Erebus volcano is located.


Erebus is an active volcano in Antarctica


The kingdom of ice and fire - Erebus volcano.

The slopes of Erebus are covered with snow and ice, but steam rises from the top, revealing the presence of heat deep within. This is how he is, Erebus, with outward coldness and a flaming heart.


In 1960-72. The first and only nuclear power plant on the continent operated at the station. Due to problems encountered during the operation of the reactor and a crack in the reactor, the plant was shut down and sent entirely to San Diego.


The icebreaker "KRASIN" paves the way to McMurda to rescue polar explorers in 2005. Erebus is already visible - a landmark for sailors.

The Krasin was chartered by the US Antarctic Program to open a passage to McMurdo Station and guide a supply vessel and tanker.

American polar explorers waited for help for more than a month. The Russian icebreaker Krasin managed to do what two American icebreakers failed to do. The gigantic layer of ice off the coast of Antarctica has finally been broken through. The path has been opened to rescue hundreds of polar explorers from the American McMurdo station. They were already running out of fuel and food. They didn’t believe in success until the last moment. The icebreaker crew managed to do the almost impossible.

Amazing video of Henry Kaiser - musician, scientist and diver. Henry published a very interesting article, in which he discussed the problems caused by melting sea ​​ice in Antarctica. But the most interesting part of this article was his amazing video, which represents short excursion at the unique McMurdo Research Station.

Volcanoes of Antarctica

There are many volcanoes in Antarctica. Some of them (in particular, those located on the Antarctic islands) have erupted in the last 200 years. Due to the specific climate and low population southern continent, most eruptions occurred without human witnesses and were recorded when volcanic activity came to an end, and sometimes retroactively. Only on Desencion Island are research stations located in the area of ​​one of the volcanoes.

At the top of Mount Melbourne, located opposite Ross Island, on the other side of McMurdo Sound, there are active fumaroles - cracks in the earth's crust that release gas. The combination of steam and freezing temperatures created many fragile ice columns; in addition, despite the height, a unique bacterial flora has developed around the fumaroles.

In 1893, Norwegian K. A. Larsen, traveling south along a rare route through the Weddell Sea, recorded seeing volcanic activity at Seal Nunatex. For many years the sighting was viewed with skepticism by geologists who said Larsen must have seen a cloud, but recent work has found traces of active fumaroles in the region. A volcanic eruption always makes an unforgettable impression, but the stark contrast of molten lava and icy snow makes Antarctic eruptions especially spectacular.

James Clark Ross and Francis Crozier, on their ships Erebus and Terror, broke the pack ice on January 9, 1841 and found themselves on open water Ross Sea. Three days later they saw a rocky ridge, the peaks of which rose to 2500 m; it was subsequently named Admiralty Ridge by Ross. The ships continued to sail south, following the line of the mountains. On January 28, 1841, travelers were struck by the sight of - in the words of Robert McCormick, the ship's surgeon on the Erebus - "a stunning volcano in an extremely active state." Located north of Ross Island, in the interior of the Ross Sea, the volcano was named "Mount Erebus", and the smaller, extinct cone to the east was named "Mount Terror". Erebus is considered the southernmost known active volcano.

In those ancient days, when the science of geology was in its infancy, active volcano in the midst of the ice and snow of the frozen continent seemed extremely mysterious. Today, geologists are no longer surprised by such phenomena and can easily explain the presence of volcanoes wherever they appear - climatic conditions in this case are not important. Volcanic rocks are often found in Antarctica, although from a geological point of view they are very ancient and represent the product of volcanic activity from times when the continent did not yet occupy its modern polar position.

Volcanic rocks are an important indicator of continental movement, useful in determining the routes of ancient movements of continents across the surface of the globe. The geologically young McMurdo volcanic region in the Ross Sea region and the associated Mary Baird Land volcanoes simply indicate recent continental shifts in Antarctica.

Volcano Erebus - guarding the path to the South Pole - serves as a beacon for all travelers. Climbing the mountain inevitably became one of the goals of early explorers and climbers. During Ernest Shackleton's expedition on the Nimrod in 1907–1909. a group of six people led by 50-year-old Professor Edgeworth David climbed legendary mountain. On March 10, 1908, they reached a peak with a height of 3794 m and discovered a crater with a diameter of 805 m and a depth of 274 m, at the bottom of which there was a lake of molten lava. This lake still exists today, and Erebus is one of three volcanoes that exhibit long-lasting lava lakes.

During the 1974–1975 season. A geological party from New Zealand descended into the main crater and set up camp there, but the activity of the volcano prevented them from descending into the inner crater. On September 17, 1984, the volcano began to erupt again, throwing out liquefied fire “bombs.” Currently, Erebus continues to be the subject of intensive geological research, but it attracts not only geologists. WITH transport ships and planes heading to the American McMurdo Station, and ships heading to the historic houses of Scott and Shackleton, in good weather there are magnificent views. Naturalists, travelers and simply risk-takers cannot resist the urge to photograph the volcano mountain, and in the old days, romantic conquerors of the South Pole felt the need to capture what they saw in a picture. Some of the best work was by Edward Wilson, a doctor and naturalist who participated in both of Scott's expeditions. Botanists are particularly interested in the Tramway Ridge, located high on the slopes of the mountain, where rich vegetation has developed in the area of ​​fumaroles on warm soil.

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Volcano Erebus is located on endless spaces South Pole, Antarctica. This volcano is located south of all other active objects of this type. The height of Erebus is 3794 meters. The diameter of the object's crater is 805 meters, and the depth of the volcano's crater is 274 meters.

The exact location coordinates of Erubus (Antarctica) are 72 degrees, 32 minutes south latitude; 162 degrees, 17 minutes east. This is the territory of Ross Island, which has three more volcanoes. All volcanoes except Erebus are already extinct.

Activity Observations

Regular volcanic activity at Erebus has been observed since 1972. The US Institute of Mining and Technology, located in New Mexico, has established a special station that monitors the activity of the volcano.

On the territory of the volcano you can observe a unique a natural phenomenon. Erebus Volcano has a one-of-a-kind lake made of real lava.

The volcano was discovered on January 28, 1841. Erebus was found during an expedition mission from England. The project leader was the famous English scientist James Clark Ross. Two ships took part in the event: Erebus and Terror. For the first time, the conquest of the edge of the top of an active volcano occurred during an expedition whose goal was to conquer the expanses of the South Pole. Six brave explorers, led by Ernest Shackleton, conquered the top of Erebus on March 10, 1908.

The ship Erebus, and later the volcano of the same name, received their names in honor of Erebus, the great deity from Ancient Greek culture. This god was born in Chaos.

The coordinates of Erebus coincide with the coordinates of the intersection of faults in the Earth's crust. The Great Volcano is rightfully considered the most active subject of volcanic activity. Breaks in the bark have negative consequences. From the faults there is a powerful release of gases emanating from the bowels of the Earth. Among the huge amount of gases released, it is worth noting hydrogen and methane.

These gases, reaching the level of the Stratosphere, have a negative impact on the ozone layer and contribute to its destruction. The minimum thickness of the Earth's protective layer is precisely at the location of Lake Rossa, where famous volcano Erebus.


One of major plane crashes occurred due to the fact that a DC-10 passenger plane flying over the volcano collided with its surface. As a result of the collision, 257 people died, 200 of whom were New Zealand citizens. The disaster occurred on November 28, 1978. The aircraft was traveling according to route NZ 901. The aircraft belonged to airlines Air New Zealand, New Zealand.

Erebus is the most active volcano on the planet. Scientists constantly record minor volcanic activity at Erebus. The last large-scale eruption was recorded in 2011.


Volcano group

Erebus belongs to the group of Stratovolcanoes - multi-layered objects of volcanic activity, shaped like a cone. Most often, such objects consist of solidified lava, tephra, and volcanic ash. Erebus has a high altitude and steep mountain slopes, characteristic of stratovolcanoes. This volcano often erupts in explosions. Like all stratovolcanoes, Erebus erupts rather viscous and thick lava, which quickly hardens and does not have time to spread over large areas of the earth's surface.

Erebus explosions are very dangerous for humanity. Since the magma erupted by a volcano is very thick and it solidifies before it reaches the surface of the volcano’s crater, gas leaks from the magma, which causes it to explode.

During the eruption process, the volcano releases:

  • Volcanic ash, which not only affects the atmosphere, but also poses a threat to flights air transport in the disaster zone. During the flight over the eruption zone of the stratovolcano, there is practically no visibility, therefore there is a high risk of collision with various objects. The aircraft engine may stop;
  • Volcanic mud, consisting of volcanic rocks and water. The mud flow moves quite quickly and has an impressive height, making it extremely difficult to hide from it;
  • Lava, which does not pose a particular threat to humanity, since the flow of magma moves rather slowly and hardens quickly.

Volcano Erebus is a unique creation of Mother Nature. This majestic and formidable object of volcanic activity has a special mystery and beauty. He enchants and leaves unforgettable experience. Particularly memorable is the mysterious magmatic lake, which is located in the Erebus crater. This volcano may not be the safest place on the planet, but it is undoubtedly its beauty.