Africa-Press – Liberia. Back in 2001, NASA satellites detected a thermal anomaly on the island near Antarctica, hinting at the presence of a hidden lava lake within an unexplored volcano. However, the finding remained unverified for years as volcanologists lacked concrete evidence.
In an expedition to the uninhabited Saunders Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, a team of scientists and explorers officially confirmed the existence of the world’s eighth lava lake.
The revelation, two decades in the making, was captured in a new episode of National Geographic’s “Explorer” series that followed the treacherous expedition to summit Mount Michael, a volcano on Saunders Island in the South Sandwich Islands that plays host to a lava lake.
The team of explorers first made their attempted to summit Mount Michael in 2020 but were forced to cancel due to inclement weather conditions. Their success eventually came in November 2022 despite having faced a series of daunting challenges.
Reaching the summit of Mount Michael proved to be the most formidable obstacle on the team’s journey, with adverse weather conditions and physical strains.
Despite the difficulties, the explorers persevered and managed to view the enormous crater containing the eighth known lava lake on Earth on a second ascent. Due to poor visibility, researchers were unable to pinpoint the lake on their initial ascent.
The existence of lava lakes is particularly intriguing because, under normal circumstances, lava this close to the surface should crystallize and form a solid plug. The delicate balance required for such lakes to persist challenges the expectations of volcanologists.
The remarkable discovery will significantly enhance volcanology models and instrumentation, allowing for a better understanding of volcanic activity. In the future, scientists hope to establish permanent monitoring stations on the island to continually collect and transmit data via satellite.
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