Boing Boing: Antarctica's towering Seuss-esque chimneys

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Antarctica's towering Seuss-esque chimneys

Smithsonian Magazine's article on exploring Antartica's Mount Erebus features stunning photos of these wild-ass fumaroles -- towering, Seuss-esque chimneys that grow out of the ice.

The flanks of Erebus are spiked with ice towers, hundreds of them, called fumaroles. Gas and heat seeping through the side of the volcano melt the snowpack above, carving out a cave. Steam escaping from the cave freezes as soon as it hits the air, building chimneys as high as 60 feet.

Link (via JWZ)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 06:47:09 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments

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