12 volcanoes discovered in Antarctica

With technological innovation, it is possible to make new discoveries that would not have been possible in the past. In fact, researchers of the British Antarctic Survey have discovered 12 big underwater volcanoes near the South Sandwich Islands, with the help of innovative 3D sonar technology maps. Thanks to the sophisticated instrumentation, the researchers were also able to assess the height of the volcanoes (some are over 3,000 metres), the diameter of the craters (some are 5 km) and the number of active volcanoes: 7 out of 12. Some of these break out above the water surface creating small archipelagos. The water, heated by the volcanic activity, has created a habitat that is rich in a number of species, in a remote area that is often considered inhospitable. The researchers of the British Antarctic Survey started to study this area of the ocean, that was apparently desolate, because there was a large empty area on the map that was still unexplored. Now research shall focus on understanding what happens when the volcanoes erupt or compress the water under the sea’s surface, and their potential to create catastrophic events such as tsunamis.