REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PRAGUE – Climate change not only threatens the surface of the earth, but can also generate hundreds volcano around the world. This finding was presented at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, based on a recent study that shows the relationship between melting ice due global warming and increased potential volcanic eruptions.
Geological modeling in the study shows that the loss of ice mass from the earth’s surface reduces pressure on the crust under the glacier. This condition has the potential to interfere with the stability of the magma system and encourage volcanic activity.
“Even though it is not direct, acceleration Ice Disbursement consequence Climate change Creating conditions that support eruption in the long run, “said Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, a volcanologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who presented this study, quoted from Science AlertFriday (11/7/2025).
One of the main concerns of scientists is Antarctica, which stores many active volcanoes under the ice layer. If it melts quickly, not only the earth’s crust pressure changes, but also the potential for the eruption can increase dramatically.
This study is based on the geological history of the ice layer Patagonia at the southern end of South America. About 18,000 years ago, when the ice was at the peak of its thickness, the magma underneath was held back by large pressure.
However, when the climate warms up and the ice starts to melt, the earth’s crust slowly raises again. Gas in magma also expands, which is the main trigger for explosive eruption.
The researchers analyzed samples from six volcanoes in Chile, including Mount Mocho-Choshuenco which is now inactive. The results show that the history of the eruption of these mountains is strongly influenced by the growth cycle and shrinkage of ice patagonia.
“Glaciers have the effect of suppressing volcanic activity. But when glaciers shrink, the eruption will be more frequent and more explosive,” said Moreno-Yaeger.
Although this process takes thousands of years, around 3,000-5,000 years to trigger a large eruption, scientists consider the disbursement of ice that is happening today far faster than previously expected. In Patagonia, land now rises at a worrying speed because of the release of pressure from melting ice.
A similar phenomenon has also been observed in Iceland. However, this study is the first to prove that the effect can occur on a continent scale. The potential impact also applies to other regions such as North America, New Zealand and Russia.
Geological simulation carried out in Antarctica shows that large-scale ice disbursement can accelerate the eruption rate.
Even if magma does not penetrate the ice, he can still melt it from the inside. If the eruption continues to recur, the greenhouse gas emissions from volcanic activity can actually worsen global warming.
