Norwegian researchers have found a previously-unknown and active ‘mud volcano’ under the Barents Sea in Norwegian waters, and have found that it constantly releases mud, liquids and gases from the Earth’s interior.
Named as Borealis Mud Volcano, it’s the second of its kind found in Norwegian territory. It was located by a remote-controlled underwater vessel operating from the research ship Kronprins Haakon. It’s about 70 miles south of the southernmost island of Svalbard.
Unlike huge land-based volcanoes, this one is about 2.5 meters high and 7 meters in diameter. It’s believed to be the result of a catastrophic natural blowout that suddenly released methane shortly after the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago. Its emissions are rich in methane.
Professor Giuliana Panieri, the expedition leader, said in a press release “We do not rule out the possibility of discovering other mud volcanoes in the Barents Sea. It is only thanks to good cooperation and advanced technology that we can make such discoveries. Seeing an underwater mud eruption in real time reminds me how ‘alive’ our planet is.”
