Antarctica’s ice sheet hides a massive system of volcanoes, one that is comparable to volcanic regions in East Africa and western North America, according to a new study, which found 91 previously undiscovered volcanoes, some over 12,600 feet tall.
Volcanoes aren’t completely unknown in Antarctica: some poke up through the existing ice sheet, while other studies have examined exposed outcrops. However, ice blankets the surface of the continent, making it impossible to directly study the underlying geology. A team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences examined a digital elevation model called Bedmap 2 DEM. That survey created a surface elevation model using radar imaging, which the team examined, looking...
