Melting Glaciers May Trigger More Volcanic Eruptions, Study Finds

Climate change may be doing more than just melting glaciers. It could also be setting off volcanic eruptions.

New research presented on 8 July at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague points to a strong connection between retreating glaciers and volcanic activity. The study, focused on six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes, warns that subglacial volcanoes, especially in places like Antarctica, could become more active as ice sheets continue to shrink.

Melting Ice Triggers Volcanic Activity

“Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them,” said Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and lead author of the study. “But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively.”

The research team used precise argon dating and rock crystal analysis to reconstruct the eruptive history of several volcanoes, including Mocho-Choshuenco in southern Chile. They linked periods of volcanic activity with phases of glacial retreat following the last ice age.

Their findings show that when glaciers were at their thickest, between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago, volcanic activity slowed. The heavy ice kept the crust under pressure, preventing magma from rising.

But once the ice began to melt, everything changed.

“As the glaciers melted rapidly, the weight lifted from the Earth’s crust,” Moreno-Yaeger said. “This allowed gases in the magma to expand, building pressure and triggering explosive eruptions.”

Volcano’s Eruptions Tied to Ice Loss

In the case of Mocho-Choshuenco, about 75 explosive eruptions followed the retreat of the thick Patagonian Ice Sheet. The most violent eruption occurred 11,500 years ago, releasing 5.3 cubic kilometres of rhyolite and forming a 3.5-kilometre-wide summit caldera.

The research also revealed that this volcano is younger than previously thought. Moreno-Yaeger and his colleagues dated 24 lava flows and two glacial exposure samples. They found that about half the volcanic material was released right after the end of the previous glacial period.

The process behind these eruptions is slow. Pressure builds over centuries. But the release, when it comes, can be fast and violent.

The team’s data suggest that multiple magma reservoirs lie beneath Mocho-Choshuenco. Some responded quickly to changes in pressure. Others took longer or stayed quiet. This complex underground system means predicting future eruptions requires more detailed monitoring.

Moreno-Yaeger pointed to broader implications. “Our study suggests this phenomenon isn’t limited to Iceland,” he said. “It could also occur in Antarctica. Other regions like North America, New Zealand, and Russia now warrant closer scientific attention.”

Melting Glaciers Trigger More Eruptions

He also warned that these volcanic responses may influence global climate.

“Eruptions release aerosols that can temporarily cool the planet, like Mount Pinatubo did in 1991,” he said. “But over time, repeated eruptions can build up greenhouse gases. This creates a feedback loop—melting glaciers cause eruptions, and the eruptions accelerate warming and more melting.”

The link between glaciers and eruptions has been known in Iceland since the 1970s. But this is one of the first studies to show the same pattern in continental volcanic systems.

This research helps explain how external forces like ice sheet retreat can disturb deep magma chambers. The findings could help scientists better predict future volcanic hazards in glaciated regions. “Understanding how these systems respond to ice loss is critical,” Moreno-Yaeger said. “The processes are complex, but the signal is clear, melting glaciers make eruptions more likely.”

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