Encapsulated in the wild white wilderness of Antarctica lies a gold-churning volcano. Every single day, this volcano spews gusts of lava and fiery blasts of molten particles, ejecting showers of crystallized gold from its burning mouth. The active volcano is in the terrains of Mount Erebus.
Image Source: The sun lights up the summit of Mount Erebus, the second-highest volcano in Antarctica and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)
In Greek mythology, the word “Erebus” refers to a place of darkness in the underworld. Mount Erebus too, nestles in the underworld of the ice-capped continent. It is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica after Mount Sidley, the highest active volcano in Antarctica, and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It also marks the second most prominent mountain in Antarctica after Mount Vinson.
Image Source: The Summit of Erebus', circa 1912, (1913). Erebus is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)
Antarctica, where mother nature exhibits the enigmatic dance of fire and ice, is known for housing hundreds of volcanoes underneath its ice sheets. While most of these are known to be dormant, nearly eight or nine of the Antarctic volcanoes are regarded as active. And Mount Erebus is one of the most aggressive of all these volcanoes. Erebus sits above a thin crust, allowing the glassy molten rock to easily rise from its surface. It furiously spews flurries of steam and plumes of gas. It is also known to eject boulders of partially molten rock known as “volcanic bombs” in strombolian eruptions.
Image Source: Mount Erebus as Seen from the Winter Quarters, The Old Crater on the Left, and the Active Cone Rising on the Right', circa 1908, (1909). (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)
However, one of the most odd traits of the Erebus volcano is that it pumps jets of gold dust daily into the planet. According to IFL Science, it's estimated that the volcano ejects a rapid flux of gold at the rate of around 80 grams per day, a quantity that's worth approximately $6,000. It is a vigorous gold machine illustrating nature’s mysterious bounty.
The ejected metal is in the form of tiny crystals of metallic gold, no larger than 20 micrometers. The gold dust sprinkles out into the surrounding crater that spans an area of around 1000 kilometers or 621 miles, as per the 1991 research published in Advancing Earth and Space Sciences journal.
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According to Interesting Engineering, Philip Kyle, from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, clarified that gold deposits can originate in volcanic rock. When lava from the mountain, which has a summit elevation of 3,794 meters emits plumes of hot gas, this sprinkles some of the gold particles into the air.
Image Source: Erebus Eruption, June 14th, 1908, 3.45 p.m. Showing upper air currents', (1909). (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)
Additionally, Conor Bacon of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, New York, told Live Science that this fierce volcano has been continuously erupting since 1972. "One of its most interesting features is the persistent lava lake that occupies one of its summit craters, where molten material is present at the surface," Conor said. "These are actually quite rare, as it requires some very specific conditions to be met to ensure the surface never freezes over."
Image Source: A sketch of Robert Falcon Scott's ship 'Discovery' moored at the foot of Mount Erebus in McMurdo Strait, while the volcano sends up a plume of smoke. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Mount Erebus is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which includes over 160 active volcanoes. The eruption of these volcanoes not only spews and fans out generous materials into the atmosphere but also creates meltwater which acts as a lubricant for Antarctic inner glacial coating and thick ice sheets. But the fact that Erebus trickles gold is something beyond poetic.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
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The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.