Scientists aboard Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have filmed a rare volcanic eruption video off the coast of Antarctica.
The team, working in partnership with Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), was studying underwater volcanoes in the region. However, the land-based volcano caught their attention, and the event was captured on reel. This rare volcanic eruption video is one of the first to capture the Big Ben volcano spew out thick smoke.
The Big Ben is an active volcano located in the Heard Island, a remote sub-Antarctic region. It is believed that the volcano has erupted only thrice since the turn of the century.
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Now actually seeing the volcano erupt is considered to be a Geo-scientific rarity. Big Ben is covered in ice throughout the year and only satellite images have been able to capture an eruption. However, this new rare volcanic eruption video shows the active volcano erupting amid the white cover of ice.
The crew has also made progress in studying underwater volcanoes and their impact on life in the Southern Ocean. Only three weeks into their 58-day research expedition, the on board team members and crew have become one of the few people in the history of mankind to witness the eruption of the Big Ben.
(Featured Image Credit: universityherald.com)
