The largest volcanic region on Earth - with over 100 volcanoes - has been discovered two km below the surface of the vast ice sheet in west Antarctica.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Britain found a staggering 91 previously unknown volcanoes.
This is adding to the 47 others that had been discovered over the previous century of exploring the region.
The height of these newly discovered volcanoes range from 100 to 3,850 metres, with the highest almost as tall as Switzerland’s 3,970-metre Eiger mountain.
These active peaks are concentrated in a region known as the west Antarctic rift system — which stretches 3,500 km from Antarctica’s Ross ice shelf to the Antarctic peninsula.
Geologists say this huge region is likely to dwarf east Africa’s volcanic ridge - currently rated as the densest concentration of volcanoes in the world.
If one of these volcanoes were to erupt it could further destabilise west Antarctica’s ice sheets.
Anything that causes the melting of ice, which an eruption certainly would, is likely to speed up the flow of ice into the sea.
The Edinburgh volcano survey, reported in the Geological Society’s special publications series, involved studying the underside of the west Antarctica ice sheet for hidden peaks of basalt rock similar to those produced by the region’s other volcanoes.
The biggest question that needs to be resolved is whether these volcanoes are active.
