Methane-emitting mud volcano discovered deep in the Arctic

May 30. (EUROPE PRESS) –

A mud volcano, the result of an unusual geological phenomenon, has been discovered 400 meters deep in Norwegian waters southwest of the Barents Sea.

It was discovered aboard the research vessel Kronprins Haakon with an ROV piloted submersible vehicle chartered by the AKMA project, a collaboration of Norway’s Arctic University and the US’s Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

The newly discovered volcano rests within a crater that is approximately 300 meters wide and 25 meters deep and is most likely the result of a catastrophic natural explosion that it abruptly released massive methane just after the last ice age period, 18,000 years ago.

Currently, what has been called Borealis Mud Volcano, it is about 7 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters high and continually emits methane-rich fluids. Methane is a very potent climate gas when it reaches the atmosphere.

This discovery will help scientists understand the potential impact of localized but persistent phenomena on the global methane balance and its impacts on ecosystems, reports the Arctic University of Norway. it’s a statement.