Near the Antarctic, a very rare type of volcano was found. What is its feature?

There are about 1500 potentially in the worldactive volcanoes (that is, those that have already exploded or may still explode in the future). But only a handful of them can boast of one interesting feature - the presence of a lake of liquid boiling lava in the mouth. To date, only 7 such volcanoes have been known, capable of constantly maintaining a boiling lava lake. Another volcano has recently been added to this list.

Rare find

It is called Mount Michael and is on topthe snow-covered island of Saunders, part of the British South Sandwich Islands located in the South Atlantic. Its height is 990 meters.

The fact that there is a volcanic islandactivity, known for 200 years. Research expeditions periodically visited the island of Saunders, but scientists never climbed to its top. It is surrounded by deep and very soft snow layers, which are formed due to constant emissions of steam.

As researcher Peter Fretwell explains,“The top is surrounded by an extremely soft and loose snow cap with a consistency similar to powdered sugar”. It was very dangerous for people to climb there. Therefore, satellite observations became the only opportunity to explore this place.

Back in the 1990s, scientists using orbitalsatellites were able to detect thermal anomalies on the island. But to confirm the presence of a permanent lava lake at the volcano then failed. The techniques and methods of observation were not as accurate as they are now.

Research using more modern scientific equipment has shown that Mount Michael has a lake with lava inside.

Satellite Image Shows Steam Volcano Mount Michael

After measuring, the scientists found that the width of this lake is from 90 to 215 meters, and the temperature is about 1279 degrees Celsius.

Why is this discovery important?

Unlike short-term lava emissions,which can only be observed during eruptions, such lakes can exist for about a hundred years. Scientists explain that in the world there are very few such volcanic lakes. The discovery on the island of Saunders became the eighth known event on the planet in history.

This is the lava lake of the volcano Nyiragongo.

The other seven are located in: Democratic Republic of Congo (Nyiragongo), Ethiopia (Erta Ale), Antarctic (Erebus), Vanuatu (Yasur and Ambrym), in Hawaii (Kilauea) and in Nicaragua (Masaya).

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