A chain of underwater volcanoes discovered in a remote area of Antarctica
Thanks to the geological and geophysical investigations conducted on board the Italian icebreaker "Laura Bassi", by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, a chain of underwater volcanoes was discovered in the remote seas of Northern Victoria Land, in Antarctica.
A chain of underwater volcanoes has been discovered in the remote seas of Northern Victoria Land, in Antarctica, thanks to geological and geophysical investigations conducted on board the Italian icebreaker "Laura Bassi", by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS. The research took place as part of the international BOOST project financed by the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) and coordinated by the University of Genoa.
The chain of volcanoes is located at about 70° south latitude and about 60 km off the remote Pennell Coast, in an area where the circum-antarctic currents of the Southern Ocean meet the waters of the Ross Sea.
Una catena di #vulcani sottomarini è stata scoperta nei mari dell'Antartide, grazie alle indagini condotte a bordo della Laura Bassi dell'#ogs nellambito del progetto BOOST finanziato dal PNRA (@ItaliAntartide ) e coordinato da @UniGenova
— OGS (@OGS_IT) March 27, 2024
https://t.co/YSbeCR1Rrn pic.twitter.com/yPkj9F82w4
It has a length of approximately 50 km and a maximum width of 15 km and its peaks, although rising more than 1500 m above the surrounding ocean floor, remain hidden under the sea. The highest point of the volcanic complex is about 600 m deep.
The first clues of this discovery emerged during the 38th Italian expedition carried out in February 2023 and were then confirmed during the 39th campaign in which the Laura Bassi ship took part, which ended at the beginning of March 2024, as part of the National Program of Research in Antarctica (PNRA).
The area studied by the project represents a key area for understanding the interaction between the geological processes linked to the movements of the lithospheric plates and the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheets. From initial analyses, volcanism appears to be geologically recent but its origin and age still remain to be precisely determined.
The research campaigns in Antarctica are financed by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) as part of the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) managed by the National Research Council (Cnr) for scientific coordination, by ENEA for planning and logistical organisation of activities at the Antarctic bases and by the OGS for the technical and scientific management of the icebreaker Laura Bassi.
The Italian research vessel Laura Bassi
The Italian research vessel Laura Bassi concluded its research mission a few weeks ago. The mission led her to sail in Antarctica for two months to support research activities on the physical and biogeochemical dynamics of specific areas of the continent.
It left the port of Naples last November 25th and landed in Lyttelton at the end of December to embark the personnel who carried out the search mission. The ship then left on January 6 for the Ross Sea.
The N/R Laura Bassi is today the only Italian icebreaker for oceanographic research capable of operating in polar seas, both in Antarctica and in the Arctic.
It was purchased by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics - OGS in 2019 thanks to funding from the then Ministry of University and Research - MUR and operates to support the entire scientific community.
The main objective of the Laura Bassi ship is to provide scientific and logistical support to Italian polar missions and at the same time to allow oceanographic and geophysical research by the Institution's researchers and the national and European scientific community at a global and, in particular, polar level.