NASA's Landsat 9 satellite captured a rare clear view of Vindication and Candlemas Islands in the remote South Sandwich Islands, revealing volcanic features, erosion patterns, and atmospheric wave clouds, providing valuable data on Earth's extreme environments and climate processes.
Scientists and mountaineers have confirmed the existence of the world's eighth lava lake deep inside Mount Michael, a volcano on Saunders Island in the South Sandwich Islands. The successful ascent, which occurred in November 2022, was years in the making and involved navigating stormy seas and challenging weather conditions. Lava lakes provide valuable insights into volcanic processes and will help improve models of volcanic activity. The discovery will aid in fine-tuning measuring instruments and potentially installing permanent monitoring stations on the volcano. The expedition will be featured in the "Explorer: Lake of Fire" episode on National Geographic.