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NASA Discovers Another Massive Crater Beneath the Ice In Greenland (technologyreview.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the lost-and-found dept.

According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, NASA glaciologists found a crater thought to be more than 22 miles wide. "It is only 114 miles from the Hiawatha impact crater that was discovered in 2018," MIT Technology Review reports. "The identification of that first crater led NASA to dedicate additional resources for investigating the land under Greenland's ice." From the report: NASA glaciologists used topographical maps, satellite images, and radar scans to analyze the area. What they found was a flat, bowl-shaped depression in the bedrock. This was surrounded by an elevated edge and characteristic central peaks, which form on the crater floor after an impact. The crater has eroded significantly over time, causing the team to estimate it was created somewhere between a hundred thousand years and a hundred million years ago. That suggests it probably wasn't formed at the same time as the Hiawatha crater, which is younger. This would be the third pair of craters that sit close to one another that we've found on Earth. "We've surveyed the Earth in many different ways, from land, air, and space. It's exciting that discoveries like these are still possible," says Joe MacGregor, a glaciologist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

8 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Tightening the estimate:? by war4peace · · Score: 2

    "it was created somewhere between a hundred thousand years and a hundred million years ago"

    That's a fairly vague estimate, and I understand at this time it's the best they can come up with, but I'n wondering if this estimate can be tightened with more observations and analysis.

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    1. Re:Tightening the estimate:? by azcoyote · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't worry, I estimate that we'll be able to get a better estimate somewhere between one week and one millennium from now.

      --
      Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
    2. Re:Tightening the estimate:? by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

      It can probably be tightened by drilling into the crater and doing isotope analysis. That's probably not NASA's cup of tea, though.

    3. Re:Tightening the estimate:? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

      it was created somewhere between a hundred thousand years and a hundred million years ago

      That's a fairly vague estimate, and I understand at this time it's the best they can come up with, but I'm wondering if this estimate can be tightened with more observations and analysis.

      New estimates say the crater was created on a Thursday.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    4. Re:Tightening the estimate:? by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      "it was created somewhere between a hundred thousand years and a hundred million years ago"

      That's a fairly vague estimate,

      Earth is 4.5 billion years old. The oldest surface rocks are 4.4x billion years old.

      This is like a 45 year old person saying that some newly discovered thing is somewhere between 8 hours and 1 year old. Not vague, especially when you realize it is an estimate taken at a glance that is only intended to help focus further examination.

      Or lets say you discover an abandoned building, and you find some activity inside. You know the building was constructed 45 years old. You're able to determine that the activity happened at least 8 hours ago, because there was no residual heat, and less than 1 year ago because some exposed mineral hadn't visibly oxidized. That's not vague at all. Vague would be, "well we found a soda bottle but we don't know how old it is because it is an old bottle design that is still sold as a novelty item, so probably years, but maybe this morning."

      and I understand

      Gotta call bullshit right there.

  2. The Younger Dryas explained? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A large impactor in Greenland would melt the whole icecap immediately but temporarily. Could this be the origin of anomalous warming events like the Younger Dryas?

    1. Re:The Younger Dryas explained? by meglon · · Score: 2

      Call your doctor and ask for stronger meds.... the ones he gave you last time aren't working.Seriously, what is it with this cluster of psuedo-science bullshitters on /. that they have to try to co-opt every single posting on science that they can manage to warp in their minds? Do you guys simply have no fucking life at all?

      --
      Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
    2. Re:The Younger Dryas explained? by joh · · Score: 2

      For the benefit of the non-trolls here an informative and fun graph of the climate in the last 20000 years:

      https://xkcd.com/1732/

      Make sure to scroll down to the very bottom (the present).