In September 2023, scientists monitoring seismic actions worldwide detected an uncommon sign. This sign, distinct from the standard earthquake rumble, resonated as a steady hum, sustaining a singular frequency. For 9 consecutive days, this hum echoed throughout the globe, spanning from the Arctic to Antarctica, leaving researchers baffled. Initially categorized as a “USO” — an unidentified seismic object — the supply of the sign was finally recognized. A colossal landslide in Greenland’s Dickson Fjord was answerable for the mysterious hum. The occasion concerned a large quantity of rock and ice, sufficient to fill roughly 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming swimming pools, plummeting into the fjord. This prompted a mega-tsunami, with waves towering as much as 200 metres, double the peak of London’s iconic Big Ben.
The Landslide’s Source
The landslide was immediately linked to the continued results of local weather change. Due to the thinning of a close-by glacier, the fjord’s stability had been compromised. The glacier had misplaced tens of metres in thickness over a long time, resulting in a weakened construction. When the mountain lastly gave manner, the sheer pressure of the collapse generated seismic waves that reverberated across the planet.
Implications of the Event
In their research published in Science, the analysis workforce famous that the sign was created by standing waves throughout the fjord attributable to the rockslide. These findings underscore the cascading and dangerous suggestions loops between the Earth’s ice, water, and land techniques because the local weather continues to heat.
As world temperatures rise, landslides, tsunamis, and comparable occasions in polar areas might change into extra frequent.
