First active subglacial volcano found in Antarctica

New Scientist : A series of tremors in 2010 and 2011 has led to the discovery of the first active volcano found under Antarctica’s ice. Several active, exposed volcanoes are already known, and evidence for subglacial activity in the past had been established. The two swarms of tremors were found by a network of seismometers installed over the last six years. The tremors had a lower frequency than expected for an earthquake, and they occurred too deep down to have been caused by shifting ice. The most likely explanation is the movement of magma in an active volcanic chamber. Using ground-penetrating radar, Amanda Lough of Washington University in St. Louis and her colleagues mapped the area where the tremors originated. They found a rise in the bedrock that protruded almost 1 km above the surrounding rock, which they believe to be the cone of the volcano. They also found a layer of ash that appears to be from an eruption that occurred 8000 years ago. The volcano may be connected to a chain of extinct volcanoes that is driven by a tectonic rift. If the volcano were to erupt, Lough expects that the heat would melt a lot of ice on the bottom of the glacier, but that it wouldn’t cause a major ice sheet failure.