Fumarole Bay
In one of the coldest places on Earth, steam rises from the ground at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Celsius. Fumarole Bay lies within the flooded caldera of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, where volcanic heat meets Antarctic cold in a landscape that seems borrowed from another planet. This is one of the few places in Antarctica where you can stand on warm ground while surrounded by glaciers.
The Flooded Volcano
Deception Island is the caldera of an active volcano, its center collapsed and flooded by the sea to form the natural harbor of Port Foster. Ships enter through a narrow gap called Neptune's Bellows, sailing directly into what was once a magma chamber. Fumarole Bay occupies the southwest corner of this enclosed water, where geothermal activity remains most intense. The fumaroles here reach temperatures of 100 to 107 degrees Celsius, hot enough to boil water in a land of ice.
History of Discovery
Argentine explorers named this bay Bahia Primero de Mayo in 1942-43, after their expedition ship 1 de Mayo. That vessel would sink off the Argentine coast just two years later. The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey conducted a full survey in 1953-54, and aerial photography followed in 1956-57. The name Fumarole Bay stuck because of what makes this place unique: the most active fumarole on the entire island vents its heat here.
Fire Beneath the Ice
Deception Island has erupted several times in recorded history, most recently in 1970. Scientific stations have been destroyed and rebuilt, abandoned and reoccupied. Today, researchers study the unique extremophile organisms that thrive in the hot springs while tourists wade in waters warmed by volcanic heat. The island serves as a reminder that even in Antarctica, the Earth is alive and restless beneath the surface.
From the Air
Fumarole Bay is located on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, approximately 100km north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The island appears as a horseshoe-shaped caldera with a distinctive gap at Neptune's Bellows on the southeast. Steam may be visible rising from the bay in clear conditions. No civilian airports nearby; the nearest major airfield is at King George Island (SCRM) 75nm northeast.