Sopka Erebus.
Although at first glance the frozen landscape of Antarctica looks inhospitable and desolate, there are areas where life is alive. One of these are the caves created by the southernmost volcano on our planet: Mount Erebus.
Erebus is located on Ross Island. It is one of the most active volcanoes not only in Antarctica, but also in the whole world. Its crater is still filled with a lava lake since 1972. The last eruption was recorded in 2011.
An unknown world is hidden inside the Earth, says a physicist. We have no idea how the kernel works
Natalia Borůvková
reading for 3 minutes
Thanks to this, he is under constant scientific supervision. Experts are not only studying its geology, they are also monitoring seismic waves and studying an ice cave system created by rising hot steam. It was in them that the DNA of several unknown species of plants and animals was discovered.
Erebus Antarctica
Up to 25 ° C were measured inside the unique caves. “You could sit on them with a t-shirt and feel comfortable. At the same time, white ice would shine around you,” describes Australian biogeographer Ceridwen Fraser. “Light also passes through thin walls. The spaces are literally oases in the middle of the icy landscape”.
Source: Youtube
DNA analysis of the collected samples confirmed that the system is inhabited by mosses, algae, fungi, bacteria and small creatures. Some of them belong to recently discovered species. In addition, some of them may be among those that have long been extinct elsewhere. The world beneath the volcano could therefore provide an insight into the past.
Scientists have found an unprecedented discovery. If true, it will completely rewrite human history
Elena Velimska
reading for 4 minutes
Antarctica hasn’t always been a frozen landscape. 14 million years ago cyanobacteria grew here and insects buzzed. The whole area resembled the tundras of Alaska, Canada or Siberia. This was discovered by research by geologist Adam Lewis of North Dakota State University.
Warm Antarctica
He and his team found preserved lichen fragments. “They were frozen, so most of the plant tissue remained,” says the scientist. “This allowed us to estimate exactly when the area became a kingdom of ice.”
Further research revealed the remains of miniature crustaceans, flies, beetles, as well as pollen from beech and rose plants. It turns out that the climate of the western Olympic zone was much warmer and more humid 14 million years ago than it is today. Perhaps similar to what prevails in the cave system under the Erebus volcano.
Source:
www.magazin.aktualne.cz, www.veda.instory.cz, www.express.co.uk
