Nature Communications (Jun 2018)

Evidence of an active volcanic heat source beneath the Pine Island Glacier

  • Brice Loose,
  • Alberto C. Naveira Garabato,
  • Peter Schlosser,
  • William J. Jenkins,
  • David Vaughan,
  • Karen J. Heywood

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04421-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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The West Antarctic Ice Sheet sits atop an extensional rift system with volcano-like features, yet we do not know if any of these volcanoes are active, because identifying subglacial volcanism remains a challenge. Here, the authors find evidence in helium isotopes that a large volcanic heat source is emanating from beneath the fast-melting Pine Island Ice Glacier.