We sailed into the caldera of the most active volcano in the Western Antarctic. A caldera is the former magma chamber of a volcano. Part of the outer rim had collapsed, allowing the ocean to fill it.
The entrance into the volcano was a narrow passage, which required skillful navigation for our ship to sails through. It was huge! The diameter of the caldera on the sea floor was 30 km. After we landed, the naturalists had pushed aside a layer of volcanic ash soil to form a small pool on the water´s edge. They invited us to put our hands in the pool, which we did: the water was almost too hot to bear. Maybe that´s why the local gintoo penguins enjoyed warming their backsides in the sand!
Curiously, the inside of volcano contained the remains of an old whaling station. There were gigantic vats for storing whale oil that were about 40 feet high. Whale bones littered the beach accompanied by the forlorn remains of the whalers´ huts, which were partially buried the last time the volcano erupted.
- Richard and Janice
I'd like to see photos of inside the volcano!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteIt was incredible! We will definitely share photos once we are back in Sydney!
We even saw a volcano that had erupted beneath a glacier!
Sending you and Natalie and Matt much love from Argentina!
Love
Janice