New Imaging Reveals Hidden Ice Age Landscapes Buried Deep in The North Sea

The hidden scars left on the landscape during ice ages thousands to millions of years ago have now been imaged in spectacular detail.

Using a technique called reflection seismology, a team of scientists has imaged enormous gouges carved by subglacial rivers, buried hundreds of meters below the floor of the North Sea. Called 'tunnel valleys', these features can help us understand how frozen landscapes change in response to a warming climate.

"The origin of these channels was unresolved for over a century. This discovery will help us better understand the ongoing retreat of present-day glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland," said geophysicist James Kirkham of the British Antarctic Survey.

"In the way that we can leave footprints in the sand, glaciers leave an imprint on the land upon which they flow. Our new cutting edge data gives us important markers of deglaciation."

Above: A map reveals the location of channels buried beneath the North Sea with an overlay showing the ice sheet limits 21,000 years ago.

Reflection seismology, as the name suggests, relies on vibrations propagating underground to generate a density profile up to significant depths. It's a little like how we can use earthquakes to map the density of the interior of our entire planet, but targeted and on smaller scales.

In this case, air gun clusters were towed over a section of the North Sea. As these sound waves from these clusters propagated, hydrophones picked up the reflections as they bounced off structures of different densities below the seafloor.

Researchers then cleaned up and analyzed the high-resolution 3D data to build a layered map of the ancient landscape.

Even buried beneath up to 300 meters (984 feet) of sediment, this equipment is able to capture features as small as just 4 meters. This means that the data obtained is the most detailed to date on the tunnel valleys below the North Sea.

The data revealed 19 cross-cutting channels between 300 and 3,000 meters wide, with undulating thalwegs. Based on the morphology of these channels, the researchers interpreted them as tunnel valleys formed by meltwater running away underneath ancient ice sheets.

Because of the high level of detail, these channels reveal information about how the ice sheets interacted with the channels as they formed. Since the ice sheets found at Earth's poles today are currently undergoing melting in response to a warming climate, a better understanding of this process can help us figure out what is going to happen to Greenland and Antarctica in the future.

"Although we have known about the huge glacial channels in the North Sea for some time, this is the first time we have imaged fine-scale landforms within them," said geophysicist Kelly Hogan of the British Antarctic Survey.

A comparison of the tunnel valleys with current-day glacial features. (James Kirkham)

"These delicate features tell us about how water moved through the channels (beneath the ice) and even how ice simply stagnated and melted away. It is very difficult to observe what goes on underneath our large ice sheets today, particularly how moving water and sediment is affecting ice flow and we know that these are important controls on ice behaviour," Hogan added.

"As a result, using these ancient channels to understand how ice will respond to changing conditions in a warming climate is extremely relevant and timely."

Future research, the team said, should involve shallow drilling, to place better chronological constraints on the tunnel valleys, as well as collection of a broader swath of seismic data.

This more granular detail will enable us to better model the hydrological systems of ancient ice sheets, and apply that knowledge to our current situation.

This was the world of 'The Old Ones', who came 'from the stars', where they lived and died and managed to somehow thrive.

They lived in peace, escaping from the chaos of war and slavery that they fled from.

Before the hordes of Cthulhu came and destroyed their civilization in a war that lasted for centuries..............

Thanks Red Badger -- here's the rest of the Doggerland keyword, sorted:

Breakthrough in Studying Ancient DNA From Doggerland That Separates The UK From Europe [07/24/2020]
Scientists Find Possible Traces of 'Lost' Stone Age Settlement Beneath the North Sea [05/29/2019]
Life was good for Stone Age Norwegians along Oslo Fjord [06/04/2018]
Mysterious Graves Discovered at Ancient European Cemetery [02/16/2016]
Hazelnut shells found at Skye Mesolithic site [10/25/2015]
Mesolithic site on Skye to be investigated [09/04/2015]
Doggerland: Secrets of ancient land submerged to be revealed [09/02/2015]
Britain Imported Wheat 2,000 Years Before Growing It [02/26/2015]
Ancient underwater forest discovered off Norfolk coast [01/31/2015]
'How Britain's Atlantis' and its tribes were wiped out by a TSUNAMI triggered by a landslide [05/02/2014]
The real flood: Submerged prehistory [04/12/2014]
Snails Reveal Ancient Human Migration from France to Ireland [06/23/2013]
Biblical-Type Floods Are Real, and They're Absolutely Enormous [09/04/2012]
'Britain's Atlantis' found at bottom of North sea [07/06/2012]
The Netherlands: Archaeologists Find Habitation Sites in Port of Rotterdam [11/17/2011]
Mesolithic 'rest stop' found at new Sainsbury's site [07/23/2011]
'Incredibly exciting' rare pre-Ice Age handaxe discovered on Orkney [06/11/2011]
The moment Britain became an island [02/14/2011]
Stone Age remains are Britain's earliest house [08/10/2010]
Neanderthal man was living in Britain 40,000 years earlier than thought [06/01/2010]
Neanderthal may not be the oldest Dutchman [ 370,000 years B.P. ] [03/30/2010]
How discovery off the Norfolk coast holds the key to Norway's past [03/19/2010]
How a prehistoric 'super river' turned Britain into an island nation [12/02/2009]
9,000-year-old house reveals Stone Age lifestyle [08/11/2009]
When Did Humans Return After Last Ice Age? (UK) [07/27/2009]
Sea gives up Neanderthal fossil [ dredged up from the North Sea ] [06/15/2009]
Scotland's most ancient home found – at 14,000 years old [04/10/2009]
Last Ice Age happened in less than year say scientists [08/02/2008]
Exploration of underwater forest [Loch Tay] [07/16/2008]
Archaeology: The lost world -- Death in the Mesolithic [07/11/2008]
Paleolithic Handaxes From The North Sea (Neanderthals) [03/10/2008]
Undersea slide set off giant flow [11/22/2007]
Stone Age Site Surfaces After 8,000 Years [08/06/2007]
(For all you NOVA buffs) Megaflood 'made Island Britain' [sharp illustrations] [07/19/2007]
Giant flood separates Britain from Europe [07/18/2007]
Megaflood Created Great Divide Between Britain and France [07/18/2007]
Lost World Warning From (Under) North Sea [04/23/2007]
Mapping an Underwater World [ Neolithic riverscapes ] [02/01/2007]
Dating A Massive Undersea Slide (8,100 Year Ago) [01/05/2007]
ARCHAEOLOGY: Stone Age World Beneath the Baltic Sea [12/09/2006]
Biblical-style flood tore Britain from France [09/26/2006]
Biblical-style flood tore Britain from France : Scientists Claim UK/France Land Mass Once joined. [09/25/2006]
Flood Made Britain An Island 'In 24 Hours' [09/24/2006]
(English) Channel's Key Role In Pre-History [09/16/2006]
Stone Age Elephant Found at Ancient U.K. Hunt Site [07/10/2006]
Tools Unlock Secrets Of Early Man [12/14/2005]
Prehistoric Knives Suggest Humans Competed [02/02/2005]
The Mysterious End Of Essex Man (UK) [01/23/2005]
Archaeologists Excited By 500,000-Year-Old Axe Find In Quarry [12/17/2004]
Stone Age Elephant Remains Found (England, Slain By Humans) [06/21/2004]
Northern sea baffles archaeologists [03/24/2004]
Scientists Discover Lost World (8,000 Years Old) [02/15/2004]
Stone Age Sites Found Under North Sea (8,000BC) [12/09/2003]
Migrants Poured Into Britain After Ice Age [10/26/2003]
UK's Oldest Cemetery Identified [09/26/2003]
Earliest British Cemetery Dated (10,000+ Years) [09/23/2003]
Stone Age Settlements Found Underwater In Britain [09/11/2003]
Giant Wave Hit Ancient Scotland [09/07/2001]

Robert Shoch presenting at the Portal to Ascension Conference 2018 that took place in Irvine, CA. In this presentation he shows evidence to suggest an alternative dating of ancient Egypt and predynastic Egypt. He also shows evidence of a great flood that took place around 12,500 - 13,500 years ago. Could this be the same flood that is spoken of in the Bible?
Robert Schoch: Ancient Egypt, The Sphinx & The Great Flood | June 23, 2019 | PortalToAscension

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