Scientists say massive Pacific Ring of Fire eruptions may have cooled Earth for centuries

The Pacific Ring of Fire, the horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean, may have played a far bigger role in shaping Earth's past climate than previously understood. Findings show that some of the largest volcanic eruptions of the past 12,000 years, many originating from this seismically active region, align closely with major glacial advances and centennial-scale cold spells during the Holocene. According to the study published in Nature, titled “Evidence for volcanic forcing of Holocene cold events”, over 80% of Holocene glacial advances occurred within chronological uncertainty of at least one large eruption of magnitude 7 or higher in the northern hemisphere.How researchers linked Holocene volcanic eruptions to glacial advancesThe research team compiled data on the largest known Holocene eruptions occurring north of 20°S, alongside a separate dataset of 22 major glacial advances drawn from moraine records across 17 regions worldwide. According to the study, the timing of each glacial advance was determined from radiometric ages acquired from moraines, marking the point at which glaciers stabilised after a sustained period of positive mass balance, which off...