Scientists are issuing a stark warning: melting glaciers could trigger a surge in volcanic eruptions, potentially intensifying climate change. This concerning conclusion stems from a new study, set to be presented on Wednesday, July 8th, at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference in Prague.
Many volcanoes, particularly in regions like Antarctica, Russia, New Zealand, and North America, are currently blanketed by glaciers. As global temperatures rise and these ice sheets recede, researchers anticipate a corresponding increase in volcanic activity.
The Mechanism: Pressure Release and Explosive Eruptions
“Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them,” explained Pablo Moreno Yaeger, lead author of the study and a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively.”
The core concept, first proposed in the 1970s, is straightforward: glaciers exert immense pressure on Earth’s crust and mantle. When this colossal weight is removed as ice melts, it allows magma and underground gases to expand. This buildup of pressure can then act as a trigger for more violent and explosive volcanic eruptions.
Evidence from the Last Ice Age and Iceland
The new study specifically examined six volcanoes in southern Chile during the last ice age, providing fresh evidence to support this theory.
This phenomenon has already been observed in Iceland, a country positioned directly on the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. In 2002, researchers discovered a significant increase in Iceland’s volcanic activity as its glaciers melted at the end of the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago. During that period, eruption rates were a staggering 30 to 50 times higher than both before and after the glacial retreat. This historical precedent underscores the potential for a dramatic increase in volcanic activity as contemporary glaciers continue to melt.
