Published 22:20 IST, December 29th 2019
Paris-sized crater due to '12000 year-old meteorite crash' found under Greenland icesheet
After finding the lowest point on earth, scientists have discovered a crater bigger than Paris under the icesheet in Greenland, according to international repo
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After finding the lowest point on earth, scientists have discovered a crater bigger than Paris under the ice sheet in Greenland, according to international reports. Scientists have revealed that a massive iron meteorite had reportedly smashed 12,000 years ago creating an enormous crater. The crater is reportedly the first of its kind and is among the 25 largest craters on Earth.
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Paris-sized crater discovered in Greenland under ice-sheet
The study published in Science Advances states that the impact of a 31-kilometer crater under the Hiawatha Glacier may have ripple effects in the region and globally. Moreover, scientists claim that the debri projected into the atmosphere could possibly affect climate and accelerate melting in ice. This rapid melting could have resulted in freshwater influx into the Nares Strait between Canada and Greenland that would have affected the ocean flow in that whole region, predict scientists.
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Initial meteorite discovery
NASA's Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment and Operation IceBridge was the first to discover the crater in 2015. A team of researchers has been working since then to verify the findings as per reports. Moreover, scientists plan to recover material that melted from the bottom of the glacier to learn more about its timing and effects.
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Lowest point on Earth found at Antarctica
Earlier on December 14, US scientists found the lowest point of land on Earth, beneath the Ice sheet in Antarctica. Researchers from the University of California-Irvine have unveiled the most accurate portrait yet of the contours of the land beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet, as stated by the University's press release. The research was carried out to identify the regions which are most vulnerable to global warming.
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The research which is part of the newly released Antarctica topography map -BedMachine zeros the lowest point on land beneath the Denman Glacier in East Antarctica. At 3500 meters ( about 11500 feet) below sea-level, this point falls below the lowest exposed point on land which is located at Dead Sea shore at 413 meters (about 1,355ft) below sea level, according to glaciologists. The researchers, along with the BedMachince Antarctica datasheet, have also published a study in the journal Nature Geoscience.
22:20 IST, December 29th 2019