Scientists risk their lives travelling to uninhabited island and discover jaw-dropping lava lake

In 2001, NASA satellites detected a thermal anomaly in the South Atlantic Ocean near Antartica. Scientists had observed a bubbling lake of molten rock, deep inside an unexplored volcano.

Known as a lava lake, at the time only seven were known worldwide.

However, with only thermal data, volcanologists were unable to confirm whether or not a lava lake existed. Two decades later, they did it. Scientists and mountaineers were followed by filmmakers as they negotiated the first ascent of Mount Michael, and confined it contained the lava lake

"Lava lakes are one of the best natural laboratories that we have to study volcanic processes," Emma Nicholson, a volcanologist and associate professor in Earth sciences at University College London who went on the expedition, told Live Science. "Lava lakes are not permanent; they are geologically transient, so when we discover a new laboratory, we have to harness it as quickly as we can."

The successful ascent occurred in November 2022 after an unsuccessful attempt in 2020 due to poor weather conditions.

Lava lakes enable scientists to "like the lid of" a volcano, Nicholson said. "Normally, all the process of how magma moves and releases gasses is hidden deep unground, and we basically have to interpret what we can measure at the surface," she said.

The team faced many challenges as they began their expedition. From sailing through stormy waters to Saunders Island where the volcano is, to climbing up Mount Michael.

Speaking on the climb Nicholson said, "the cold had got into my bones, my legs were seizing up and I had a lot of pain in my ankles. I thought I'd be the reason why the team couldn't make it to the top and that was crushing."

The discovery will help scientists improve volcanology models and fine-tune measuring instruments, Nicholson said.

You can watch "Explorer: Lake of Fire" on Disney+ on Friday (Oct. 27).

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