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from the 150-vs-200-milliwatts-per-square-meter dept.
A mantle plume producing almost as much heat as [the] Yellowstone supervolcano appears to be melting part of West Antarctica from beneath.
Researchers at NASA have discovered a huge upwelling of hot rock under Marie Byrd Land, which lies between the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea, is creating vast lakes and rivers under the ice sheet. The presence of a huge mantle plume could explain why the region is so unstable today, and why it collapsed so quickly at the end of the last Ice Age, 11,000 years ago.
[...] For 30 years, scientists have suggested that a mantle plume may exist under Marie Byrd Land. Its presence would explain the regional volcanic activity seen in the area, as well as a dome feature that exists there. However, there was no evidence to support this idea.
Now, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have created advanced numerical models to show how much heat would need to exist beneath the ice to account for their observations—including the dome and the giant subsurface rivers and lakes we know are present on Antarctica's bedrock. As lakes fill and drain, the ice thousands of feet above rises and falls, sometimes by as much as 20 feet.
Study author Hélène Seroussi, from JPL, said when she first heard that a mantle plume might be heating Marie Byrd Land she thought the idea was "crazy."
"I didn't see how we could have that amount of heat and still have ice on top of it," she said in a statement.
Also at BGR and Live Science.
Influence of a West Antarctic mantle plume on ice sheet basal conditions (DOI: 10.1002/2017JB014423) (DX)
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Kilo110 on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:14PM (8 children)
Admittedly I don't know much about the JPL. But why would a "Jet Propulsion Laboratory" be involved in this kind of work? Seems geological science is kinda out of their scope.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:24PM (2 children)
Heat plume mumble mumble mumble ancient alien rocket thruster mumble mumble repurposable as a weapon mumble have Congress redirect portion of military budget to NASA to investigate further.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:37PM
Heat plume, place the ICMB silo on top of it and there may be trouble.
The study of heat plumes are within one of the (defence related) scope of the agency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:40PM
Don't let Charles Bishop Weyland look too closely at it or he might find the pyramid.
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:31PM
Here's something to fill the hole in your knowledge on JPL:
JPL Earth Sciences [nasa.gov]
In essence, from atmosphere data collection to level of oceans and land. (at least the last one is of strategic military interest as well.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by lx on Thursday November 09 2017, @10:39PM (3 children)
They have a history of working with NASA and they have experience with flow calculations?
Either that or it's their expertise in harnessing fire elementals. After all the JPL was founded by a practicing magician [wikipedia.org], who at one time hung out with L.Ron Hubbard.
Compared to characters like Parsons, today's techies seem rather boring. I wonder if Elon Musk secretly performs sacrifices to the sun god in his spare time...
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by c0lo on Thursday November 09 2017, @11:31PM (2 children)
From the "Should've gone to SpecSavers" cycle :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 10 2017, @12:42AM (1 child)
Intelligent people are like the Riemann sphere, or more locally a vertical asymptote: they are so smart that their traces wrap around from extreme intelligence into coming from the most retarded stupidity.
Perhaps those types should be forced to sniff glue for fun until they get back on our level.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Friday November 10 2017, @01:43AM
Or, you know, you can just direct them to Specsavers and solve some other problems originated by the same cause
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford