Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Reuters: US military carried out a new strike targeting a ship in the Caribbean Sea
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli raids targeted a cement plant, an asphalt factory, and fuel tanks in the Ansar area in South Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: A series of violent Israeli raids targeted the outskirts of the town of Ansar
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli warplanes raided the outskirts of the town of Shmestar in Bekaa, eastern Lebanon
Donald Trump will speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday: White House
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli warplanes raid the town of Bnaafoul, Saida district
YAF: Israeli enemy will pay for this crime.
Yemeni Armed Forces: Son of Major General Al-Ghamari martyred alongside him in Israeli aggression.
Yemeni Armed Forces: YAF mourns martyrdom of Chief of the General Staff Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Palestinian shot and killed by IOF east of Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip

Underwater volcano in Antarctica sets off 85,000 earthquakes

  • By Al Mayadeen net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 Apr 2022 13:06
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The seismic outburst is the largest to ever be recorded in Antarctica.

  • x
  • Underwater volcano in Antarctica sets off 85,000 earthquakes
    The swarm began in August of 2020 and was the greatest earthquake activity ever recorded.

A long-dormant undersea volcano in Antarctica has erupted, causing an outbreak of 85,000 earthquakes. 

The swarm, which began in August 2020 and ended in November of that year, is the region's greatest earthquake activity ever recorded. According to a recent study, the quakes were most likely produced by a "finger" of hot magma probing into the crust.

Simone Cesca, the study's co-author and a seismologist at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, told Live Science that "there have been similar intrusions in other places on Earth, but this is the first time we have observed it there," adding that these processes usually occur over geologic time scales.

The swarm occurred on the Orca Seamount, an inactive volcano rising 2,950 feet from the seafloor in the Bransfield Strait, a short strait between the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica's northern coast. According to a 2018 research published in the journal Polar Science, the Phoenix tectonic plate is sinking beneath the continental Antarctic plate in this location, generating a network of fault zones, stretching certain parts of the crust, and forming rifts in others.

Related News

World's largest iceberg runs aground off heavily inhabited island

'For centuries to come' is the impact of melting Antarctic on oceans

Scientists on King George Island, one of the South Shetland Islands, were the first to notice the rumblings of tiny earthquakes. The news quickly spread to Cesca and his colleagues all over the world, some of whom were working on other projects with the researchers on the island.

Researchers utilized data from two nearby seismic stations since King George Island is so remote, as well as data from ground stations for the international satellite navigation system.

Cesca stated that with the pieces of all the data coming together, enough information was gathered about the underlying geology triggering the earthquakes.

The series' two most powerful earthquakes were a magnitude 5.9 quake in October 2020 and a magnitude 6.0 quake in November. Seismic activity decreased following the November quake. According to the analysis, the quakes moved the earth on King George Island by around 4.3 inches (11 cm).

Cesca stated that "what we think is that the magnitude 6 somehow created some fractures and reduced the pressure of the magma dike."

Cesca said that if there was an undersea eruption at the seamount, it most likely occurred at that time. However, there is no clear proof of an eruption as of yet; to establish that the gigantic shield volcano blew its top, scientists would need to send a mission to the strait to measure the bathymetry or seafloor depth, and compare it to previous maps, he explained.

  • Antarctic
  • earthquake
  • Antarctica

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jaafarawi in an undated image in Gaza, occupied Palestine (Social media)

Gaza Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by collaborators

  • Politics
  • 12 Oct 2025
drop site

New report details extensive Israeli arson in Gaza after ceasefire

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025
Illustration of fists breaking shackles, representing the liberation of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. (Illustrated by: AL Mayadeen English/Batoul Chamas)

4 prominent Palestinian detainees to be freed: Who are they?

  • Palestine
  • 13 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
The bodies of deceased Palestinians, held by Israel during the war, lie in plastic bags on the floor of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, following their release, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' returns 30 Palestinian bodies; some bear marks of torture

Gaza buried under 70 million tons of war debris as crisis deepens
Politics

Gaza buried under 70 million tons of debris, 20,000 lingering UXOs

Ex-White House adviser Ashley Tellis charged over secret files
Politics

Ex-White House advisor accused of amassing troves of top secret files

An Israeli soldier rests by a mobile artillery unit at a gathering point on the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern “Israel”, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Global arms bans isolate 'Israel', yet its war machine keeps running

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS