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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23144184
Cook Sub-Glacial Lake, buried under almost two miles of Antarctic ice, drained suddenly in 2007-2008, leaving a crater 10 km wide and 70m deep on the surface of the ice.
Apparently there is an entire continental network of subglacial lakes and rivers sandwiched between the Antarctic ice pack and the bedrock, kept liquid by thermal heat from the rock and massive pressure from the ice above.
It is vitally important to know about because water under the glaciers lubricates their movement, especially as the globe warms. But little is known about the buried system.
The volume of the lake lost is around 5-10% of the volume of material the Antarctic loses every year, but no one knows where the water went, whether it reached the ocean or refroze under the ice.
Cook Sub-Glacial Lake, buried under almost two miles of Antarctic ice, drained suddenly in 2007-2008, leaving a crater 10 km wide and 70m deep on the surface of the ice.
Apparently there is an entire continental network of subglacial lakes and rivers sandwiched between the Antarctic ice pack and the bedrock, kept liquid by thermal heat from the rock and massive pressure from the ice above.
It is vitally important to know about because water under the glaciers lubricates their movement, especially as the globe warms. But little is known about the buried system.
The volume of the lake lost is around 5-10% of the volume of material the Antarctic loses every year, but no one knows where the water went, whether it reached the ocean or refroze under the ice.
