Cross-section (B–B) of elevation change Greenland Ice Sheet

Using 3D models of the ice sheet surface from the ArcticDEM project, alongside data from multiple satellite missions, scientists have discovered that a huge flood beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet surged with such force that it fractured the ice sheet, resulting in a vast quantity of meltwater bursting upwards through the ice surface.

Over a 10-day period in the summer of 2014, a massive crater – 85 meters deep and spanning 2 square kilometre – formed on the surface of the ice sheet as 90 million cubic metres of water were suddenly released from this hidden subglacial lake. While the sudden surge of meltwater was startling in itself, even more alarming was the accompanying damage – towering 25-metre-high ice blocks torn from the surface, deep fractures in the ice sheet, and the ice surface scoured by the flood’s destructive force.

The graph shows the elevation change in the surface of the ice sheet, from points B to B, see image for reference.

Read full story: Greenland subglacial flood bursts through ice sheet surface