June 9, 2023: Methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to the planet's warming, has been observed to be present in the erupting mud and fluids from the volcano. Which one? Where? Continue reading to know more!
Off the coast of Norway, geologists have found a historically undiscovered volcano that is erupting with mud, fluids, and gas from the planet's interior. The Borealis Mud Volcano is the name of the volcano.
Researchers using the piloted underwater vehicle ROV Aurora on board the research ship Kronprins Haakon discovered the recently discovered volcano. It is situated in the Barents Sea's southwest. Off the northern shores of Norway and Russia, the Barents Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, is divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial seas.
The expedition's leader and principal investigator for the AKMA project, Professor Giuliana Panieri, stated in a statement that witnessing an underwater mud eruption in real time reminded her of how "alive" our planet is. The crater where the volcano is located is around 300 metres broad and 25 metres deep.
Geologists believe that the huge event that rapidly released massive methane right after the last glacial period, 18,000 years ago, is what caused the crater.Methane-rich eruptions from the volcano have been observed; this greenhouse gas is what causes the planet's warming owing to global warming.
This could help researchers better understand how localised in-time occurrences may affect the global methane budget and how it may affect ecosystems.
"We do not rule out finding further mud volcanoes in the Barents Sea. These outcomes are only possible because of effective teamwork and cutting-edge technology," said Professor Panieri.
Given that they erupt primarily water and fine sediments from depths of several hundred metres to a few kilometres, giving a glimpse into past ecosystems, the team argues that these venting volcanoes are direct windows into the Earth's interior.
"Understanding the evolution and the fluids' composition helps us comprehend their potential impact on the global methane budget and can inform us about what happens on other planets," adds Panieri.
According to scientists, there is active marine life on the seafloor where the volcano has been discovered, and it is thriving on the steep flanks of carbonate crusts that were produced thousands of years ago. On the seabed, observations showed the presence of sea anemones, sponges, carnivorous sponges, sea stars, corals, sea spiders, and crustaceans.
"Finding new methane seeps while exploring the ocean floor is like unearthing buried gold. It's teeming with surprises. We've discovered a huge number of leaks. But every time we descend to the ocean below, we leave with the impression that we are only now starting to comprehend the size and extraordinary diversity of seep systems," expedition co-leader Professor Stefan Buenz said in a press release.