K. Andreassen, A. Hubbard, M. Winsborrow, H. Patton, S. Vadakkepuliyambatta, A. Plaza-Faverola, E. Gudlaugsson, P. Serov, A. Deryabin, R. Mattingsdal, J. Mienert, S. Bünz

Science

Published date June 1, 2017

Massive blow-out craters formed by hydrate-controlled methane expulsion from the Arctic seafloor

  • Finds evidence of large craters embedded within methane-leaking subglacial sediments in the Barents Sea, Norway
  • Proposes that the thinning of the ice sheet at the end of recent glacial cycles decreased the pressure on pockets of hydrates buried in the seafloor, resulting in explosive blow-outs
  • Concludes that this created the giant craters and released large quantities of methane into the water above