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Melting Glaciers Threaten to Reactivate Hundreds of Subglacial Volcanoes

Scientists say melting ice sheets are already decompressing Antarctic magma chambers, providing a centuries-long window for enhanced monitoring.

Overview

  • Latest Goldschmidt Conference findings show that present-day glacier retreat is already reducing pressure on Antarctic magma chambers, raising the prospect of more frequent, explosive eruptions.
  • Researchers used argon dating and crystal analysis on six Chilean Andes volcanoes to reveal that rapid deglaciation around 13,000 years ago unleashed powerful eruptions by letting deep silica-rich magma expand.
  • Thick ice cover during the last ice age suppressed eruption volume and allowed magma reservoirs to accumulate 10–15 km below the surface, a mechanism now reversing as ice disappears.
  • Scientists warn that hundreds of dormant subglacial volcanoes worldwide—most notably under West Antarctica—could awaken as climate change accelerates glacier loss.
  • While volcanic response to ice retreat is geologically swift, gradual magma-system evolution over centuries offers a critical window for bolstered geophysical monitoring and early warning systems.