-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email An anomalous seismic signal recorded for nine days in September 2023 was caused by the impact of massive landslide and tsunami in Greenland following the collapse of a glacier. The source of the anomalous signal was confirmed Sept. 5 by an international team of researchers that included 68 scientists from 40 institutions in 15 countries.
The glacier's collapse was due to climate change, and more collapses are expected in the future. No people were harmed. The seismic signal crossed the globe in under an hour, from from eastern Greenland to Antarctica, with massive waves sloshing against in stone walls of a narrow valley until they rung out through the earth like “a big musical instrument” for nine days — every 90 seconds.
Thought they initially classified the signal as a "USO" — or, unidentified seismic object — they solved the mystery, reporting their findings Thursday in the journal Science . Related The "Doomsday Glacier" may partially collapse. If it does, Earth's sea level will rise by 2 feet “When I first saw the seismic signal, I was completely baffled.
Even though we know seismometers can record a variety of sources happening on Earth’s surface, never before has such a long-lasting, globally traveling seismic wave, containing only a single frequency of oscillation, been recorded. This inspired me to co-lead a large team of scientists to figure out the puzzle," study co-author Stephen Hicks, of University College Lo.