Recent research indicates that climate change may cause an increase in volcanic activity worldwide. Melting glaciers can allow dormant volcanoes to erupt more frequently and explosively. The study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison used crystal analysis and argon dating to investigate the influence of glacial ice on volcanic behavior in southern Chile. Findings suggest that as glaciers retreat, the pressure changes in the Earth's crust can lead to the expansion of gases in magma, triggering eruptions. Regions like North America, New Zealand, and Russia may be especially vulnerable to this increased volcanic activity.
"Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them. But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively."
"During the peak of the last ice age - around 26,000-18,000 years ago - thick ice cover suppressed the volume of eruptions and allowed a large reservoir of magma to accumulate up to 15km below the surface."
"As the ice sheet melted rapidly at the end of the last ice age, the sudden loss of weight caused the Earth's crust to 'relax' and gases in the magma to expand. This buildup of pressure triggered explosive volcanic eruptions from the deep reservoir."
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