Major scientific discovery: 207 volcanoes mapped under Antarctic ice sheet

The research team created the world’s first complete digital record of Antarctic subglacial volcanoes, called ANT-SGV-25.This catalogue gives detailed identity information about volcanoes that lie buried beneath miles of ice.

Researchers say this discovery is important because heat from these volcanoes could melt ice from below. This melting may affect glacier movement and could contribute to rising sea levels in the future.

The ANT-SGV-25 catalogue works like an identity database. It includes the location, size, and characteristics of all 207 known subglacial volcanoes. Until now scattered and incomplete.

Scientists used satellite data, ice-penetrating radar, and earlier geological studies to prepare this archive. The team believes the catalogue will help researchers better understand how Earth’s inner heat interacts with Antarctica's ice sheet.

Antarctica appears frozen and silent on the surface, but this study shows that powerful geological activity is hidden below the ice. Scientists plan to use this data for future climate and ice-sheet research.