Antarctica’s southernmost active volcano hides a molten lava lake in the frozen wasteland.

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Mount Erebus is a geological anomaly: a persistent, phonolitic volcano churning with liquid rock in one of the coldest environments on Earth. While the surrounding landscape is buried in ice and snow, this stratovolcano has maintained an active lava lake since at least 1972, serving as a rare, glowing beacon.

Located on Ross Island, Mount Erebus rises 3,794 meters above sea level, overlooking the United States' McMurdo Station. First sighted by Captain James Clark Ross in 1841, the volcano is a polygenetic stratovolcano that has been erupting for roughly 1.3 million years. Its summit is defined by a plateau at 3,200 meters, marking the rim of a caldera formed during the late-Pleistocene. Within this lies a modern cone containing an elliptical, 500-by-600-meter crater that houses an active, convecting lava lake.

The volcano is scientifically unique for its persistent, low-level Strombolian activity, which allows researchers to study eruptive systems from just hundreds of meters away. This accessibility is bolstered by the proximity of McMurdo Station and New Zealand’s Scott Base, both situated about 35 to 40 kilometers from the peak. Beyond its magma, the volcano is famous for its ice fumaroles—towers formed by escaping gases. These caves, which can reach temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius, provide a rare, isolated environment for studying oligotrophs, organisms that survive on minimal resources.

Erebus is also a source of unexpected geological phenomena. It is the world's only presently erupting phonolite volcano, and its emissions include about 80 grams of gold vapor daily. These vapors condense into microscopic gold particles, some as large as 60 micrometres, which have been detected up to 1,000 kilometers away. To understand the volcano's internal structure, scientists have used seismic arrays to map the complex conduit system, revealing magma storage areas hundreds of meters beneath the surface that feed the persistent lava lake.

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