Influence of water and ice on eruptive style of the Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

Volcanoes erupt in various environmental settings, including subaerial, subaqueous and subglacial. Researchers of the University of Leicester (UK), Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Università di Pisa and Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse (CNR) have reconstructed in great detail the eruptive history of the Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field (northern Victoria Land, Antartica) together with a detailed Ar-Ar geochronological study, in order to assess the role of the local contemporary environmental conditions exerted on the style of eruption and on resulting volcanic edifices. Results demonstrate that the variations in eruptive styles and the resulting primary volcanic landforms were overwhelmingly influenced by the presence or absence of water in all its forms (snow, ice, meltwater, and seawater), which, in turn, is linked inextricably to the prevailing climate.

Reference

Smellie J.L., Rocchi S., Di Vincenzo G. (2023). Controlling influence of water and ice on eruptive style and edifice construction in the Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). Frontiers in Earth Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.1061515

For more information: Gianfranco Di Vincenzo, CNR-IGG (gianfranco.divincenzo(at)igg.cnr.it).