'Glacial earthquakes' warn of global warming

[Dogmudgeon]

This isn't isostasis, the process by which earthquakes are caused by the shifting mass of ice over the land, but mini-quakes caused by the ice itself. These quakes appear to be small -- but point to some dramatic changes, not necessarily for the better.

Dramatic new evidence has emerged of the speed of climate change in the polar regions which scientists fear is causing huge volumes of ice to melt far faster than predicted.

Scientists have recorded a significant and unexpected increase in the number of "glacial earthquakes" caused by the sudden movement of Manhattan-sized blocks of ice in Greenland.

...

The annual number of glacial earthquakes recorded in Greenland between 1993 and 2002 was between six and 15. In 2003 seismologists recorded 20 glacial earthquakes. In 2004 they monitored 24 and for the first 10 months of 2005 they recorded 32.

The latest seismic study, published today in the journal Science, found that in a single area of north-western Greenland scientists recorded just one quake between 1993 and 1999. But they monitored more than two dozen quakes between 2000 and 2005.

Read the entire article at the Independent UK.

--p!

[hatrack]

1. Considering that the WTC collapses registered on seismographs . . .

This shouldn't be at all surprising.

[DLnyc]

2. Better spend a few more decades studying this.

So we'll know what happened after we're underwater.

Most important thing we can do: buy big SUV's and drive them around all day. Otherwise the terrorists will have won.

[Memory Container]

3. Better get the air-conditioning turned on

to give us a reason to turn the heat up too.

"Global warming - good for the economy."