This is a neat bit of work. We do not associate volcanic activity with
the Antarctic and in fact it is scant.
This extensive sea bed complex is the exception. At the moment we do not know what is driving this
string of volcanoes and will have to wait for a lot more data.
For now we know of it.
I would like to see a mapping of
such structures underneath the ice itself.
Underwater Antarctic Volcanoes
by Staff Writers
Sea-floor mapping technology reveals volcanoes beneath the sea surface.
Credit: British Antarctic Survey. See more images and captions at BAS
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have discovered
previously unknown volcanoes in the ocean waters around the remote South Sandwich Islands . Using ship-borne sea-floor
mapping technology during research cruises onboard the RRS James Clark Ross,
the scientists found 12 volcanoes beneath the sea surface - some up to 3km
high.
They found 5km diameter craters left by collapsing volcanoes and 7
active volcanoes visible above the sea as a chain of islands.
The research is important also for understanding what happens when
volcanoes erupt or collapse underwater and their potential for creating serious
hazards such as tsunamis.
Also this sub-sea landscape, with its waters warmed by volcanic
activity creates a rich habitat for many species of wildlife and adds valuable
new insight about life on earth.
Speaking at the International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences in Edinburgh Dr
"There is so much that we don't understand about volcanic activity
beneath the sea - it's likely that volcanoes are erupting or collapsing all the
time.
The technologies that scientists can now use from ships not only give
us an opportunity to piece together the story of the evolution of our earth,
but they also help shed new light on the development of natural events that
pose hazards for people living in more populated regions on the planet."
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