Volcanic activity in Antarctica continues to surprise the scientific community, especially with the discovery that the continent’s largest volcano has begun spewing gold dust. Although Antarctica is known for its glaciers and harsh climate, it is also home to active volcanoes. Most of these are located in West Antarctica and Marie Bird Land, where a 2017 study found more than a hundred volcanoes. Only a small fraction of these are active.

In historical context, volcanic eruptions in Antarctica were rare, but studies of ice cores show that the continent has experienced significant volcanic events in the past that exceed modern eruptions.

Among these volcanoes, Mount Erebus stands out, the highest and southernmost active volcano on the planet, known for its permanent lava lake. Erebus, named after the ancient Greek god of darkness, has the ability to launch pieces of molten rock called “volcanic bombs”.

One of the most mysterious events associated with Erebus is the release of microscopic gold particles from the volcano that can travel up to 1000 kilometers away. This event causes the release of approximately 80 grams of gold every day.

Gold dust travels far. Antarctic researchers have found traces of gold in the surrounding air at a distance of up to 1000 kilometers from the volcano.

Mount Erebus was made famous by the tragedy that occurred on November 28, 1979, when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into the edge of the volcano, killing all 257 people on board.

The flight was part of the airline’s tourism programme, which offers round-trip 11-hour sightseeing flights from Auckland to Antarctica. The weather was bad that day, but the flight took place anyway. According to the BBC, Captain Jim Collins tried to reduce the height of the plane by 610 meters while explaining the spiral. However, a few minutes before 13:00 the plane crashed into a mountain and exploded, killing everyone on board instantly.

Cameras containing images of the passengers taken seconds before the collision were found at the scene of the accident. These photographs showed that visibility was good and the plane was well below cloud level, disproving the theory that the volcano was hidden by clouds.

The cause of the disaster is thought to be a “rebound” effect, in which the ice cover on the volcano becomes invisible due to uniform light, making it difficult to distinguish it from the surrounding landscape. The pilot mistook the white surface for snow and ice, not the mountainside. After a series of lawsuits and controversies, Air New Zealand halted its Antarctic research flights. Source