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Ice hummocks
Ice hummocks form over fumaroles. They are small snow enclosures – usually less than 0.5 m in diameter. Unlike ice caves, the hummocks found on the summit of Mount Erebus only last a short time as the ice often collapses between the seasons. Scientists sample the hot soils under the hummocks to measure the soil geochemistry and microbial communities.
This image shows the scale of an ice hummock compared to the person next to it.
Photo by Paul Broady © Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection, 1982–1983.
Rights: Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 NZ
Published: 22 October 2025Size: 151.23 KB
