This continent of ice has about 5,000 scientists from around the world who study the unspoken region to learn more about the history of the earth and the effects of climate change. But researchers suffered a setback when they discovered more than 100 dormant volcanoes beneath the continent’s ice, making it the world’s largest volcanic region. The search was especially important because the activity of this volcano could have a very significant impact on the rest of the planet.
If someone erupts, it could further destabilize some of the region’s ice sheets that have already been affected by global warming.
And the YouTube channel ‘What If’ raised the issue of another case during their documentary in the region.
The narrator said: “This huge ice swamp sits on top of a volcano.
“Could their burning lava reach the Earth’s surface, or will the dense Antarctic ice stop lava before disabling the planet?
There are more than 100 volcanoes under Antarctica (Image: GETTY / Youtube)
Climate change is already affecting the region (Image: GETTY)
“Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth and it’s pretty mysterious, we didn’t know it had active volcanoes until 2013, when scientists mistakenly identified a bunch of two small earthquakes.
“Now that we’ve scanned Antarctica with ice-penetrating radar, we know there are a lot of volcanoes hidden beneath the ice – 138 to be precise.
“It simply came to our notice then. How much trouble would we face if all these volcanoes erupted suddenly? ”
The series went on to explain how the conditions for volcanic eruptions do not apply to the frozen desert.
It added: “Volcanoes usually have warning signs before they erupt, such as earthquake waves, indicating that molten rock is moving beneath the surface.
Read more: Discovery of Antarctica: Incredible ‘evolved’ sea creatures ‘blown’ by divers under ice
Huge amounts of ice can be thrown into the sea (Image: YouTube)
“Then the lava and ash join the party with the heated gas – on average the lava moves at about mpf.
“When a large eruption occurs, volcanoes can release extremely hot gas and ash, forming pyroclastic clouds, reaching up to 700C and moving to 50 mph.
“The Antarctic volcano is a different story. These are buried under layers of ice more than four kilometers (two and a half miles) thick.
“We’re not going to work with volcanoes, at least for the first time, to get volcanic gases to the surface.”
However, such incidents could have dire consequences in other parts of the world.
More ice in the water would raise the sea level (Image: GETTY)
The series adds: “The heat will melt ice caves, create plenty of molten water, and that’s when things get ugly.
“This molten water will move the ice on its surface more quickly and start its journey towards the sea.
“From there, the domino effect will begin and the magma will find a way through the eruption.
“Multiple volcanic eruptions in Antarctica could erupt more than 100 volcanoes and destabilize the entire region.
“As they leave, more molten water will form, causing the Antarctic ice to flow into the ocean.”
And the documentary reveals how people around the world will feel the full force.
Mount Erebus is an active volcano in Antarctica (Image: GETTY)
It continued in May: “Antarctic ice will be bound by warm ocean currents – on the one hand we want to get a new look at the Antarctic bedrock, but on the other hand, the ice will not disappear, it will melt.
“If the ice melts, it will raise the world sea level by about 60 meters, slowing down large storms and further reducing rainfall.
“Hurricanes and typhoons wreak havoc on the earth.
“Wildlife will lose their habitat and agriculture will become polluted.
“Massive flooding will push millions of people off the coast – we could see thousands of deaths and storms flooding cities and floating seas.”
Experts are also worried about that possibility.
Cheating Island has an active call ra (Image: GETTY)
Dr. Robert Bingham from the University of Edinburgh said in February: “It is interesting to discover the vast volcanoes on this relatively undiscovered continent.
“A better idea of volcanic activity could shed light on the past, present and future, and their impact on Antarctic ice and other cracking systems in the world.
“If they [the ice sheets] Significantly reduced, it can release pressure on volcanoes that fall to the bottom creating volcanoes that can further destabilize ice sheets and increase sea levels that are already affecting our oceans. “
For now, however, these volcanoes are dormant, meaning they haven’t erupted in the last 10,000 years, but may do so in the future.
At the moment, there are only two active volcanoes in Antarctica – Mount Erebus and Deception Island.
Scientists continue to study the area to learn more.
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