April 01, 2025
Researchers have achieved a significant milestone by detecting icequakes in the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, the largest frozen river in Greenland. This discovery was made by inserting a fibre-optic cable in the frozen river. According to researchers, this phenomenon occurs due to the rubbing of two ice slabs against one another when a larger portion of ice breaks and is akin to an earthquake. Researchers believe that volcanic debris resting below the ice has prevented these quakes from rising to the surface, leaving them unnoticed. The debris that resulted from the eruption of Mount Mazama more than 7,000 years ago could also play a role in causing the quakes, according to the study.
DID YOU KNOW?
Approximately 80% of Greenland is blanketed by the Greenland Ice Sheet, the world’s second-largest ice sheet.
Image for representational purposes
