Talk:Gaussberg

Dubious
The article claims that Gaussberg is the only Antarctic volcano situated on the Antarctic Shield. However, since the Antarctic Shield is an old and stable part of continental lithosphere that has existed for at least 1 billion years, there is a high probability that there are old Precambrian volcanoes buried under the East Antarctic ice sheet. Precambrian volcanoes have been found in shields elsewhere on Earth. Volcanoguy 23:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I think there are such volcanics, although I don't think that even under an ice sheet would Precambrian volcanoes remain intact - only volcanic rock formations. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:15, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Not necessarily. Calderas and diatremes can remain intact for billions of years (e.g. Sturgeon Lake Caldera in Canada and the Argyle diatreme in Western Australia). Volcanoguy 17:28, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I really do not get the impression that these two are "intact" in the normal sense of the word. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 17:29, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * By "intact" I meant not diminished. Yes Precambrian volcanoes have been heavily eroded but that doesn't mean none exist anymore. This is especially true for calderas because the collapse structure can still be present and for diatremes because the pipe extends below the surface. Volcanoguy 22:26, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Honestly, I don't get the impression that anyone uses a definition of "intact" as broad as to encompass such volcanoes that have almost entirely lost their topographical signature. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 17:20, 23 March 2022 (UTC)