Fire And Ice: Explosive Volcanoes Found Under Ice-Covered Arctic Ocean

An international team of researchers says they have evidence of explosive volcanism in the deeps of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean for the first time. Researchers from an expedition to the Gakkel Ridge report in the current issue of Nature that they discovered extensive layers of volcanic ash on the seafloor, which indicates a gigantic volcanic eruption. A major part of Earth's volcanism happens at the so-called mid-ocean ridges and, therefore, completely undetected on the seafloor. There, the continental plates drift apart; liquid magma intrudes into the gap and constantly forms new seafloor through countless volcanic eruptions. Accompanied by smaller earthquakes, which go unregistered on land, lava flows onto the seafloor. These unspectacular eruptions usually last for only a few days or weeks. Read More...

Read the whole article on Scientific Blogging

More from Scientific Blogging

Related