Major catastrophe unfolding in Antarctica as hundreds of earthquakes slam Doomsday Glacier

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica has been jolted by hundreds of glacial earthquakes over nearly 13 years, according to new research. Also known as the Doomsday Glacier, it is so large that a complete collapse could lead global sea levels to rise by 10 feet. The latest study has found something even more shocking. Researchers say that previous analysis on the stability of Thwaites could be wrong. According to Thanh-Son Pham, a researcher at the Australian National University, it is a lot less stable and has been hit by hundreds of iceberg earthquakes between 2010 and 2023, Gizmodo reported. Thanh-Son Pham says that most of these earthquakes weren't detected because of low-frequency seismic waves.

According to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a total of 362 glacial earthquakes have struck Antarctica for more than a decade, of which 245 took place in Doomsday Glacier. The Thwaites has already been flagged as a danger for the world's coasts, as the increasing temperatures are fast melting this giant, free-floating body of ice. Add to it the scenario of earthquakes shaking it further, and we have a perfect recipe for disaster waiting to happen.

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What are glacial earthquakes?

They are a new group of earthquakes that produce low-frequency waves, with a magnitude of around 5. They were first detected in 2003 and are caused when large icebergs collapse. Most of them have been recorded along the coast of Greenland till now and have a higher magnitude. Scientists have assumed that they occur in Antarctica as well, but detecting them has been hard because of their lower magnitude. Thanh-Son Pham decided to find proof of glacial earthquakes in Antarctica and used the seismic stations in Antarctica itself. Data showed several of them had occurred in the region but had never been detected by the global network of seismic detectors.

What is going on with Thwaites?

Scientists have discovered a scary unfolding at the Doomsday Glacier, with the amount of ice flowing from it doubling in the span of three decades. Thanh-Son Pham says the glacial earthquakes are occurring parallel to this accelerated flow of melting water from the glacier. The majority of seismic events were reported at Thwaites, with the rest happening at Pine Island Glacier. Strangely, the study notes that capsizing icebergs did not cause the temblors at this glacier. "The nature of earthquakes in Pine Island Glaciers remains puzzling and warrants further investigation," the research states.