Climate change

Study: Melting Glaciers Could Trigger Volcanic Eruptions

Published JUL 8 2025

Story

Above: The Thwaites Ice Shelf edge. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

Researchers studying six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes have found that melting glaciers could trigger more frequent and explosive volcanic eruptions worldwide, particularly in Antarctica, where hundreds of dormant subglacial volcanoes exist beneath thick ice sheets.
Inside Climate News
PHYS
Daily Express
During the last ice age peak around 26,000-18,000 years ago, thick glacial ice suppressed volcanic eruptions by acting as a lid on magma chambers, allowing silica-rich magma to accumulate 10-15 kilometers (6.2-9.3 miles) below the surface in underground reservoirs.
Daily Mail
PHYS
Newsweek
According to their study presented on Tuesday at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, when glaciers melted rapidly at the end of the ice age, the sudden weight loss caused Earth's crust to relax and gases in magma to expand, triggering explosive eruptions that formed volcanoes like Mocho-Choshuenco in Chile.
Earth.com
UPI
Gizmodo
The phenomenon extends beyond Iceland, where the glacier-volcano connection has been studied since the 1970s, to continental regions, including parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, according to researchers.
Guardian
Down To Earth
Gizmodo
Volcanic eruptions initially cool the planet by releasing aerosols that reflect sunlight, as seen after Mount Pinatubo's 1991 eruption, which reduced global temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius. However, multiple eruptions can lead to long-term warming through the accumulation of greenhouse gases.
Live Science
PHYS
Daily Express
The research suggests a feedback loop in which melting glaciers trigger eruptions that contribute to further warming and ice melting, with particular concern for the 100-plus volcanoes beneath West Antarctica's ice sheets, which are already threatened by climate change.
Ground Report
Inside Climate News
Newsweek

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

This research reveals a dangerous climate feedback loop that demands immediate attention. Melting glaciers don't just raise sea levels — they're uncorking volcanic time bombs that have been suppressed for millennia. The evidence from Chile shows what happens when nature's pressure cooker loses its lid, and Antarctica's 100-plus subglacial volcanoes could soon follow suit.

Inside Climate News

PHYS

Climate-skeptic narrative

While some scientists suggest that melting glaciers could trigger volcanic eruptions, it's important to recognize that volcanic activity is a natural process influenced by various factors, including tectonic movements and geothermal dynamics. Attributing such complex geological phenomena solely to climate change oversimplifies the science and may overlook other significant contributing factors.