Melting Glaciers Could Unleash a Barrage of Volcanic Eruptions Worldwide, Scientists Warn

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Source: Gizmodo

As if we needed another reason to worry about the climate crisis, researchers have found that melting glaciers could trigger a surge of intense volcanic eruptions in the future.

Across the globe, hundreds of subglacial volcanoes—formed by eruptions beneath glaciers—lie dormant under thick layers of ice. A new study, presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, suggests that these volcanoes could awaken as climate change accelerates glacier retreat, potentially leading to an increase in volcanic eruptions around the world.

This is particularly concerning in West Antarctica, where at least 100 subglacial volcanoes have been identified. Glaciers in this region are rapidly disappearing as the planet warms.

“Our study suggests this phenomenon isn’t limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica. Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention,” said Pablo Moreno, a geologist from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one of the study’s authors, in a statement. According to a 2020 study, 245 of the world’s potentially active volcanoes lie underneath or within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of glacial ice.

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Read more: https://gizmodo.com/melting-glaciers-could-unleash-a-barrage-of-volcanic-eruptions-worldwide-scientists-warn-2000625728

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The article explains that this will also add to global warming, and there will be a feedback loop, melting to eruptions to more melting and then more eruptions...