Huge ‘lake’ found under volcano in South America

Scientists have discovered a huge magmatic lake, 15 kilometres below a dormant volcano in South America, a finding that could unlock why and how volcanoes erupt.

The body of water - which is dissolved into partially molten rock at a temperature of almost 1,000 degrees Celsius — is the equivalent to what is found in some of the world’s giant freshwater lakes, such as Lake Superior. The finding by researchers from University of Bristol, UK and colleagues has led scientists to consider if similar water bodies may be ‘hiding under other volcanoes and help explain why and how volcanoes erupt. “The Bolivian Altiplano has been the site of extensive volcanism over past 10 million years, although there are no currently active volcanoes there,” said professor Jon Blundy. “The Altiplano is underlain by a large geophysical anomaly at depths of 15 km below the Earth’s surface. It has a volume of one-and-a-half million cubic kms or more, is characterised by reduced seismic wave speeds,” he said.