Mount Erebus casts 35 km pyramid-shaped shadow in Antarctica

A satellite image captured by the European Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission shows a massive, 35-kilometer-long dark shape resembling a pyramid on the Antarctic ice. While the geometric form may appear unusual from space, it is a natural phenomenon caused by the shadow of Mount Erebus.

Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located on Ross Island with an elevation of approximately 3,794 meters. Due to the sun's low position on the horizon at such high latitudes, the mountain projects an elongated shadow across the fragmented sea ice. The perspective from the satellite causes the shadow to taper, creating the pyramid-like appearance. The image, which shows the volcano and the nearby Erebus Glacier Tongue, was featured as the Copernicus ‘Image of the Day’.