“Underwater Volcano Spewing Methane Discovered in Arctic’s Barents Sea by AKMA Expedition”

Jakarta –

Ocean explorers in the Arctic discovered an underwater volcano spewing mud and methane gas from inside another, larger crater. This crater was likely formed after a huge explosion at the end of the last ice age.

Researchers spotted the unusual feature 130 kilometers south of Norway’s Bear Island, or Bjørnøya, in the Barents Sea. The volcano, which the research team has named Borealis Mud Volcano, is the second of its kind found in Norwegian waters.

“Exploring the ocean floor and finding new methane is like finding hidden treasure,” said Stefan Buenz, professor at The Arctic University of Norway and co-leader of the Advancing Knowledge of Methane in the Arctic (AKMA) expedition that made the discovery.

“Every time we go down to the ocean floor, we feel that we are just beginning to understand the huge and extraordinary diversity of such systems,” said Buenz as quoted by Live Science.

Submarine mud volcanoes are geological structures formed by the ejection of muddy liquids and gases, mainly methane. The Borealis Mud Volcano is approximately 7 meters in diameter and about 2.5 m high.

On May 7, scientists used a remote-controlled rover to capture footage of a small mountain continuously ejecting a muddy liquid that researchers say is rich in methane, a powerful greenhouse gas after it reaches the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.

The volcano lies in the center of another, much larger crater, 300 m wide and 25 m deep. This extraordinary formation is 400 m below sea level and most likely resulted from the sudden and massive eruption of methane after the last glacial period about 18 thousand years ago.

“Seeing underwater eruptions in real time reminds me how ‘alive’ our planet is,” said Giuliana Panieri, professor of geology at the Arctic University of Norway and leader of the expedition.

Researchers found the flanks of the volcano teeming with animal life that feeds on carbonate slag, a mineral slag formed when microorganisms consume methane and produce bicarbonate as a byproduct formed thousands of years ago. They spy sea anemones, sponges, coral, starfish, sea spiders and various crustaceans.

The only known mud volcano in Norwegian waters is the Hakon Mosby volcano. This 1 km wide feature was discovered 1,250 m below the surface of the water on the seabed south of Svalbard in 1995, according to the University of Bergen’s Center for Geobiology.

Underwater mud volcanoes are difficult to identify and map, but researchers estimate there may be hundreds or thousands on the ocean floor globally.

These volcanoes provide a rare window into the geological processes that occur deep beneath the Earth’s crust, as they eject water, minerals and fine sediments from these depths.

“They also offer clues about previous environments and conditions on Earth, and can provide insight into systems on other planets,” Panieri said.

AKMA Expedition is a three-part mission investigating methane activity in Arctic waters. Scientists are now looking for similar formations in the Arctic.

“We are not ruling out the possibility of finding another mud volcano in the Barents Sea,” concluded Panieri.

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(rns/rns)