“This lava lake is a window into the volcano and its magma chamber,” says volcanologist Philip Kyle of New Mexico Tech in Socorro. Few, however, have scaled the nearly 3,800-meter summit to peer into its churning pool of molten rock - a lake of lava roiling at roughly 1,000° Celsius. Some 1,300 summer residents at the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo research station 35 kilometers away can revel in the picture-postcard backdrop that Erebus offers. This ice-covered cone belongs to a small chain of otherwise dormant peaks that make up Ross Island. As it rises through the crust it can change composition before finally reaching the upper volcano system (inset) and migrating to the magma chamber and lava lake, located 2 to 4 kilometers above sea level.

THE RISE OF MAGMA | Molten rock begins its upward journey deep inside the mantle. Oppenheimerįeldspar crystals mined from lava bombs contain clues to the composition of the volcano’s magma. Scientists point a variety of instruments at the lava lake to measure its appearance, gas emissions and sounds. Zandomeneghi et al/Journal of Geophysical Research A topographical map shows 12 detonation sites and the locations of seismometers that record the shock waves generated by the explosions, which give clues to the density of materials within the volcano and aid in mapping its inner workings. SEISMIC EVIDENCE Scientists drill in order to plant an explosive charge. Most lava bombs contain crystallized feldspar.

Nelia Dunbar pokes a lava bomb freshly catapulted from the lake. From the rim, scientists can watch - and listen to - lava that has risen from the magma chamber. Feliciano Ridvan EFE/ShutterStockĮrebus’ lava lake is open to the sky and easy to observe. From the rim they observe the lava lake below, measure its emissions and probe Erebus’ plumbing system. Researchers travel from McMurdo Station to a research base near the top of the volcano. MOUNTAINTOP LAB | Mount Erebus, Earth’s southernmost active volcano and one of four moutains that form Ross Island, rises from Antarctica’s Ross Sea. Wind-blown clouds of steam rise year-round from a lava lake atop Mount Erebus, the planet’s southernmost active volcano.Įrebus’ lava lake churns beneath a cloud of gas and water vapor, yielding clues to the volcano’s inner workings. MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA - Even when the December sun beats down 24 hours a day, most of Antarctica remains cold, if not brutally frigid.

Jotnar rise from erebus