Hole the Size of Maine Opens in Antarctica

Toroid

Founding Member
A hole the size of Maine has opened in Antarctic's winter ice cover.
Hole the Size of Maine Opens in Antarctica Ice
A mysterious hole as big as the state of Maine has been spotted in Antarctica’s winter sea ice cover.

The hole was discovered by researchers about a month ago. The team, comprised of scientists from the University of Toronto and the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) project, was monitoring the area with satellite technology after a similar hole opened last year.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR1R4eLSAoA
Published on Oct 11, 2017
A massive hole the size of Lake Superior or the state of Maine has suddenly opened up in Antarctica leaving scientists baffled to why it's there.
Source: http://www.nnettle.com
02-antarctic-hole-modis_ws_amsr_6250_2017_0925_1_3001.adapt.1190.1.jpg
 

SOUL-DRIFTER

Life Long Researcher
I wonder if perhaps there is volcanic activity on the ocean floor below that spot.
When it gets very active the rising warm water melts the ice. When it is less active it ices over again.
 

August

Metanoia
Only two volcanoes in Antarctica are active. There is Mount Erebus, which is roughly due south of New Zealand, and Deception Island, which lies about 850km south east of Cape Horn. Maybe thermal vents are responsible for this hole ?
 

August

Metanoia
List of volcanoes in the Antarctic region.
A 2017 study claimed to have found a total of 138 volcanoes, of which 91 were previously unknown.[1][2] The unconfirmed volcanoes are not included in the table below.

This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Antarctica.

This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Antarctica.



Table
A 2017 study claimed to have found a total of 138 volcanoes, of which 91 were previously unknown.[1] [2] The unconfirmed volcanoes are not included in the table below.

Name Elevation Location Last eruption
meters feet Coordinates
Mount Andrus 2978 9770 75°48′S 132°20′W / 75.800°S 132.333°W Unknown
Argo Point 360 1180 66°15′S 60°55′W / 66.250°S 60.917°W 1.4-0.9 million years ago
Mount Berlin 3478 11,411 76°03′S 136°00′W / 76.050°S 136.000°W 8350 BCE
Mount Bird 1800 5900 77°16′S 166°44′E / 77.267°S 166.733°E 3.8-4.6 million years ago
Bridgeman Island 240 787 62°03′S 56°45′W / 62.050°S 56.750°W -
Brown Peak (Sturge Island) 1524 5000 67°26′S 164°46′E / 67.433°S 164.767°E Unknown
Coulman Island 1998 6553 73°30′S 169°36′E / 73.500°S 169.600°E -
Deception Island 576 1890 62°58′S 60°39′W / 62.967°S 60.650°W 1970
Mount Discovery 2681 8796 78°18′S 165°00′E / 78.300°S 165.000°E Unknown
Mount Erebus 3794 12,448 77°32′S 167°17′E / 77.533°S 167.283°E 2015
Mount Frakes 3654 11,998 76°48′S 117°42′W / 76.800°S 117.700°W Unknown
Gaussberg 370 1213 66°48′S 89°11′E / 66.800°S 89.183°E Unknown
Mount Hampton 3323 10,902 76°30′S 126°00′W / 76.500°S 126.000°W Unknown
Mount Harcourt 1571 5153 72°24′S 170°6′E / 72.400°S 170.100°E -
Hudson Mountains 749 2457 74°19.8′S 99°25.2′W / 74.3300°S 99.4200°W 210 BCE
Mount Melbourne 2732 8963 74°21′S 164°42′E / 74.350°S 164.700°E 1892 ± 30 years
Mount Morning 2723 8934 78°30′S 163°30′E / 78.500°S 163.500°E Unknown
Mount Moulton 3078 10,098 76°06′S 135°00′W / 76.100°S 135.000°W -
Mount Murphy 2703 8868 75°18′S 100°45′W / 75.300°S 100.750°W Late Miocene
Mount Overlord 3395 11,142 73°12′S 164°36′E / 73.200°S 164.600°E -
Paulet Island 353 1158 63°34.8′S 55°46.2′W / 63.5800°S 55.7700°W Unknown
Penguin Island 180 591 62°06′S 57°55.8′W / 62.100°S 57.9300°W 1905
Lars Christensen Peak 1755 5758 68°51′S 90°34.8′W / 68.850°S 90.5800°W Holocene
The Pleiades 3040 9974 72°40.2′S 165°30′E / 72.6700°S 165.500°E 1050 BC ± 1000 years
Royal Society Range 3000 9842 78°15′S 163°36′E / 78.250°S 163.600°E Holocene
Seal Nunataks 368 1207 65°1.8′S 60°03′W / 65.0300°S 60.050°W Unknown
Mount Sidley 4181- 4285 13,717- 14,058 77°06′S 126°06′W / 77.100°S 126.100°W -
Mount Siple 3110 10,203 73°26′S 126°40′W / 73.433°S 126.667°W Holocene
Mount Steere 3558 11,673 76°42′S 117°48′W / 76.700°S 117.800°W Unknown
Mount Takahe 3460 11,352 76°16.8′S 112°04.8′W / 76.2800°S 112.0800°W 5550 BC
Mount Terra Nova 2130 6988 77°31′S 167°57′W / 77.517°S 167.950°W Unknown
Mount Terror 3230 10,597 77°31′S 168°32′E / 77.517°S 168.533°E -
Toney Mountain 3595 11,795 75°48′S 115°49.8′W / 75.800°S 115.8300°W Holocene
Mount Dimitra 2987 9797 73°27′S 164°34.8′E / 73.450°S 164.5800°E Holocene
Mount Brown[3] 1982 6503 76°49.8′S 163°00′E / 76.8300°S 163.000°E Holocene
Mount Christos - - 56°15′S 72°10.2′W / 56.250°S 72.1700°W 1876
Mount Waesche 3292 10,801 77°10.2′S 126°52.8′W / 77.1700°S 126.8800°W Holocene
 

SOUL-DRIFTER

Life Long Researcher
Yes nice list indeed.
Another subject...but I think volcanic activity has more to do with climate change than anything else.
Who knows how many active volcanoes exist somewhere on the ocean bottom we do not yet know about?
 

Castle-Yankee54

Celestial
Yes nice list indeed.
Another subject...but I think volcanic activity has more to do with climate change than anything else.
Who knows how many active volcanoes exist somewhere on the ocean bottom we do not yet know about?

Any where along the mid-oceanic ridge are active volcanoes.....Iceland and Ascension Island are examples where they reached the surface.

Volcanic activity ended "Snowball earth"......so it maybe helping the current short term warming trend that began with the end of the last ice age.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
I was thinking the same thing....as there are active volcanoes in Antarctica.

There is no evidence or indication of volcanic activity causing this polynia...

"This is now the second year in a row it's opened after 40 years of not being there," Moore said. (It opened around September 9.) "We're still trying to figure out what's going on."

It's tempting to blame this strange hole on climate change, which is reshaping so much of the world, including Antarctica. But Moore said that's "premature." Scientists can say with certainty, though, that the polynia will have a wider impact on the oceans.

"Once the sea ice melts back, you have this huge temperature contrast between the ocean and the atmosphere," Moore explained. "It can start driving convection." Denser, colder water sinks to the bottom of the ocean, while warmer water comes to the surface, "which can keep the polynia open once it starts," he said.

A Giant, Mysterious Hole Has Opened Up in Antarctica
 

CasualBystander

Celestial
What outside force do you think is causing all the earthquakes and volcanic activity around the world?

I'm no geologist (I checked my degree).

However, the planetary alignment changes the stresses on the earths crust.

Jupiter stresses its satellites so much it warms them up.

Tidal forces affect the shape of reference geoid.

Not sure how big the effect is. But it doesn't help any.

Tectonic drift is mostly responsible. India is plowing into Asia so hard the Himalayas grow about 5 mm/year.

If you take a jigsaw puzzle and forcibly rearrange the pieces you are going to tear up the edges - that's volcanic/earthquake activity. The remaining volcanos are fixed hot spots in the magma layer.

But there is going to be some astrophysics related trend.

The barycenter of the solar system is constantly changing and is sometimes outside the surface of the sun (IE the Sun is just another orbiting object).
 
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