[CLSTR]
API
< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [CULTURE]

2 clusters · 2 sources · 15 days · First seen · Last updated

Mount Erebus volcanic activity in Antarctica

Overview

Observations of Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth, have highlighted unique geological and atmospheric phenomena. Satellite imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured a 35-kilometer-long pyramid-shaped shadow cast by the mountain across the Antarctic ice, a result of the sun’s low position on the horizon.

Scientific research has also identified that the volcano’s gas plumes emit microscopic gold particles. Halogen-rich gases from the crater’s permanent lava lake bind with trace amounts of precious metals and condense into fine gold dust when encountering extreme cold. While these particles have been detected in snow and air up to 1,000 kilometers away, they do not constitute economically viable deposits.

Entities

Mount Erebus · Ross Island · Copernicus · Geophysical Research Letters · Antarctica

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Mount Erebus volcano emits microscopic gold particles in Antarctica

    Mount Erebus, an active Antarctic volcano, emits microscopic gold particles via gas plumes that condense into fine dust when hitting cold air, according to scientific research.

  2. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Mount Erebus casts 35 km pyramid-shaped shadow in Antarctica

    A Sentinel-2 satellite image captured a 35-kilometer pyramid-shaped shadow in Antarctica, created by the active Mount Erebus volcano when the sun is low on the horizon.

Sources

kosmo.at · suedtirolnews.it