Science Daily published an article about the recent discovery of an active undersea volcano off Antarctica. The NSF funded expedition was led by Professor of Geology Eugene Domack and included three Hamilton students. The team announced the discovery on May 5 in a dispatch from their research vessel.
Temperature probes and reports from mariners of discolored water in the vicinity of the submerged peak indicate the volcano has been active recently. The volcano, according to Domack, stands 700 meters above the seafloor and extends to within 275 meters of the ocean surface. By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth, rises approximately 4,100 meters above sea level. According to the article, evidence of the undersea volcano came as an unintended bonus from a research plan to investigate why a massive ice sheet, known as the Larsen B, collapsed and broke up several years ago.
