A Volcano, not Global Warming, may be melting Antarctic Ice

Scientists have unearthed a layer of volcanic ash, mixed with shards of glass, in ice drilled out of Antarctica. This seems to be evidence of an older eruption by a volcano that is still active. Researchers are now theorising that this volcano may be contributing, to ongoing thinning of the, Antarctic glacial ice.

Two scientists working with the British Antarctic Survey, David G. Vaughan and his partner Hugh F.J. Corr, published their finding of the volcanic layer in the very well respected, scientific journal “Nature Geoscience”.

According to Dr. Vaughan, this new discovery is unique. He stated “This is the first time we have seen a volcano beneath the ice sheet punch a hole through the ice sheet.” And: “the volcano’s heat could possibly be melting and thinning the ice and raising the speed of the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica.”

Pine Island Glacier could be thinning from the heat rising from the volcano, but it seems it’s unreasonable, that thinning of Antarctica’s entire ice sheet can be explained by unseen volcanoes. Antarctica actually has few presently active, volcanoes. Nearly all glacial scientists say the cause is, warming ocean waters.

The layer of glass and ash that the scientists found was probably deposited at the time of Alexander the Great. The eruption had thrown ash and rocks up into the sky, after pushing them through several hundred metres of ice, this would spray the ash a large area surrounding it. Two thousand years of snow fall would have covered over the volcanic layer.

Measurements of the thickness of ice from the layer to the surface told scientists that the eruption occurred approximately 2200 years ago.