China Focus: Scientists pioneer first-ever genealogy for volcanoes beneath Antarctic ice

SHANGHAI, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- An international research team has established the first comprehensive identity archive for 207 known subglacial volcanoes in Antarctica, marking a significant advancement in polar research and providing a crucial public data product for the global scientific community.

This landmark study was led by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), with collaborators from Zhejiang University and Fudan University, both in east China, and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

The team compiled existing scientific data to create the first pan-Antarctic subglacial volcano reference catalogue, named ANT-SGV-25, filling a major research gap concerning continent-scale morphology and distribution of these hidden geological features, Cui Xiangbin, the project's lead researcher from PRIC's Center for Polar Ice & Snow and Climate Change Research told Xinhua on Sunday.

The Antarctic ice sheet averages about 2,160 meters in thickness, with the thickest point located in Wilkes Land in east Antarctica, reaching 4,757 meters.

"Recent research increasingly shows that subglacial volcanoes hidden beneath the massive ice sheet can alter subglacial topography, promote basal ice melting, regulate subglacial hydrological activity, and ultimately affect ice flow dynamics and the stability of the ice sheet," said Cui.

However, a systematic and unified understanding of these volcanoes had been historically limited by observational challenges and data resolution.

The newly created archive provides a detailed, multi-dimensional parameter system for the volcanoes.

By integrating data and applying computer vision technology, the team precisely extracted morphological features, establishing a quantitative index system covering size, shape and slope, thereby providing a foundation for volcano classification, origin analysis and impact assessment, said Cui.

The researcher noted that the volcanoes are unevenly distributed, with the vast majority concentrated within the West Antarctic Rift System, while only three have been identified in East Antarctica. The pattern is closely linked to crustal stretching and high geothermal heat flow in the rift system.

Analysis also reveals that the volcanoes range dramatically in size: heights span from 100 to 4,181 meters, volumes from 1 to 2,800 cubic kilometers, and basal widths from 0.3 to 58 kilometers, with a median average slope of roughly 8.1 degrees.

The research findings have been published in the international journal Earth-Science Reviews. ■