Thanks momtothree, good idea!
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Posted on 01/13/2016 11:24:39 PM PST by Fred Nerks
The worlds largest canyon may lie deep beneath the ice sheets on Antarctica, according to a new discovery by UK scientists.
While the depth of the discovery is comparative to the Grand Canyon it dwarfs the US landmark by 555km in length.
Satellite data recovered by a team of scientists led by Durham University revealed the previously unknown canyon system which is thought to be more than 1000km long and 1km deep buried under several kilometres of ice.
While the discovery is yet to be confirmed by direct measurements, researchers believe the canyon beneath the ice sheet may be so ancient it was carved out by water prior to the formation of the ice sheet.
An airborne survey taking targeted radio-echo sounding measurements over the whole buried landscape is now underway in the hopes of confirming the existence and size of the canyon and lake system later this year.
Lead researcher Stewart Jamieson from Durham University said it was a region in Antarctica scientists still know very little about.
Our analysis provides the first evidence that a huge canyon and a possible lake are present beneath the ice in Princess Elizabeth Land, Dr Jamieson said.
It’s astonishing to think that such large features could have avoided detection for so long.
This is a region of the Earth that is bigger than the UK and yet we still know little about what lies beneath the ice. In fact, the bed of Antarctica is less well known than the surface of Mars.
If we can gain better knowledge of the buried landscape we will be better equipped to understand how the ice sheet responds to changes in climate.
Co-Author Neil Ross from Newcastle University in the UK, said the discovery was only made possible thanks to a bipartisan collaboration with multiple government agencies.
Antarctic scientists have long recognised that because the way ice flows, the landscape beneath the ice sheet was subtly reflected in the topography of the ice sheet surface, he said.
Despite this, these vast deep canyons and potential large lake had been overlooked entirely.
© ninemsn 2016
Thanks momtothree, good idea!
|
Thanks momtothree, good idea!
Massive electrical discharge. Jupiter threw a lightning bolt...
Why did the planetary gods dominate our imagination at the dawn of civilization? Yet nine out of ten people today could not identify bright Jupiter in the night sky. And another question that is never asked, what was really meant by Jupiters weapon, the thunderbolt?
Everybody knows this is the World's Largest Crayon and it isn't under Antarctica!
;^0
yep..... a crack canyon, not a water eroded canyon
Black Canyon. Where both sides fit together...
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