Mount Erebus is notable for its numerous ice fumaroles – ice towers that form around gases that escape from vents in the surface.For photographs of ice fumaroles, see Ice Towers Mount Everest Volcano Observatory The ice caves associated with the fumaroles are dark, in polar alpine environments starved in organics and with oxygenated hydrothermal circulation in highly reducing host rock. The life is sparse, mainly bacteria and fungi. This makes it of special interest for studying oligotrophs – organisms that can survive on minimal amounts of resources.
Mount Erebus is notable for its numerous ice fumaroles – ice towers that form around gases that escape from vents in the surface.For photographs of ice fumaroles, see Ice Towers Mount Everest Volcano Observatory The ice caves associated with the fumaroles are dark, in polar alpine environments starved in organics and with oxygenated hydrothermal circulation in ,highly reducing host rock. The life is sparse mainly bacteria and fungi. This makes it of special interest for studying oligotrophs – organisms that can survive on minimal amounts of resources.