MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Active volcano in Antarctic waters

A team of US and Canadian scientists discovered an active and previously unknown submarine volcano in the extreme north of the Antarctic Peninsula, very close to the Argentine Army base of Good Hope.

The volcano the largest so far in the Antarctic submarine shelf, an area where volcanoes are not common, was detected by chance by the research vessel "Lawrence M. Gould" belonging to the US National Foundation for Science on its return trip from the Larsen B ice barrier.

Eugene Domack chief scientist of the expedition and a researcher at Hamilton College in New York said the volcano stands 700 metres above the seafloor and reaches to within 275 metres of the ocean surface with a possible mass of 1,5 million cubic metres of volcanic rock. It lies in the Antarctic Sound, at the northernmost tip of Antarctica, and is north the existing boundary of known volcanic activity in the region.

The US-Canadian team mapped and sampled the ocean floor and collected video and data indicative of the existence of a major volcano.

The discovery is an unexpected by product of research to find out why the Larsen B ice shelf broke up several years ago.

Sergio Marenssi, Director of the Argentine Antarctic Institute indicated the volcano is actually very close to the coast, in a channel separating the extreme north of the Peninsula from Joinville Island, "a very common route for Antarctic vessels".

Scientists also detected that next to the summit ring of the underwater volcano there's an increase in water temperature and recalled historical reports indicating that water colour changes were common, which means recent activity.

Furthermore submarine life along the sea shelf and slopes of the volcano is interrupted close to the crown of the volcano by dark rocks, an indication of the presence of lava. Mr. Marenssi, a PhD in Geology, said that "the southwest coast of the channel has a wall of volcanic rocks dating back 4 to 5 million years", however it was unknown volcano activity was so recent or could still be active.

The first sonar indications of the possible existence of a volcano in the area date from January 2002 when extensive concentric and symmetric formations without glacier tracks were detected.

According to Mr. Marenssi the new volcano is not linked to other volcanic phenomena in the area particularly King George island, "they are of different origin".

Apparently all volcanoes in the area were created by sub-duction, when Pacific plates forced their way under Antarctica, while the recently found volcano seems to originate in the distancing of two plates, making it easier for magma to flow out.

Mr. Marenssi recalls that in 1969 volcanic activity in the island destroyed Chilean and British bases.