CPT Internet Highlights - Antarctica Volcano Powerful as Yellowstone

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Volcano 'as powerful as Yellowstone' MELTS ice beneath Antarctica

A GIGANTIC volcano which could be as powerful as the dreaded Yellowstone is melting Antarctic ice from beneath the surface, Nasa scientists have revealed.

By SEAN MARTIN

PUBLISHED: 16:40, Thu, Nov 9, 2017 | UPDATED: 16:45, Thu, Nov 9, 2017

Volcano 'as powerful as Yellowstone' MELTS ice beneath AntarcticaGETTY

Experts working at the South Pole have found evidence to support a theory that a gigantic geothermal heat source may be lurking beneath the surface – and it could be as devastating as the Yellowstone volcano.

Scientists first theorised the ice was melting due to a volcano when they noticed a breathing effect was visible on Antarctica's Marie Byrd Land in the west of the icy continent.

The volcano itself is not a new discovery, but the new research suggests it could be aiding global warming and could be why the ice sheet collapsed 11,000 years ago in a previous example of rapid climate change.

Hélène Seroussi of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said: "I thought it was crazy. I didn't see how we could have that amount of heat and still have ice on top of it.”

The land beneath the ice of Antarctica

Ms Seroussi and Erik Ivins of JPL used the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM), which is a mathematical model that uses the physics of the ice sheets, to look for heat sources and meltwater deposits.

The melted water beneath the surface lubricates the ice sheets, allowing glaciers to slide.

And the information can also be used to estimate how much ice will be lost in the future.

"I didn't see how we could have that amount of heat and still have ice on top of it."

The underwater systems in the Antarctic can cause surface ice to rise by at least six metres over a short time frame, allowing scientists to observe concentrations of water sources beneath the surface.

In a statement, Nasa said: “They found that the flux of energy from the mantle plume must be no more than 150 milliwatts per square meter. 

 “For comparison, in US regions with no volcanic activity, the heat flux from Earth's mantle is 40 to 60 milliwatts.

"Under Yellowstone National Park – a well-known geothermal hot spot – the heat from below is about 200 milliwatts per square meter averaged over the entire park.”

Polar Pam Conquers South Pole

Here at Coltons Point we have some pretty famous people like Polar Pam who has been to the deep freeze of the South Pole a couple of times and we have the proof. The South Pole, in the heart of Antarctica, is the coldest, driest, windiest place on earth and Antarctica has the highest average elevation of any continent in the world. Winter temperatures can range from 90 to 130 below zero and that is pretty darn cold.

This is Polar Pam and her Sherpa guide preparing for the flight to the South Pole to visit the National Science Foundation research ice boxes down there. They made their way to the deep freeze through New Zealand and other exotic locales.

Here they are getting close to the Pole walking along a sidewalk that had just been shoveled as you can see from the pile of snow along the road. We estimate the snow is about 50 feet over her head at this point.

In the two shots above she is preparing for the final part of the journey after traveling by airplane with skiis and helicopter. The snow machine is needed to make it through the final part of the adventure. In the second photo she is hanging from the tail of a wrecked plane in the tundra demonstrating Antarktarobics, a strange form of physical workout when you spend too much time at a lonely research outpost. Below you see the adoring crowd of Penguins she is entertaining with her high flying act. It was a sell out crowd for her performance.

Above you see her welcomed to the South Pole and standing by the South Pole and now you know why it is the last place on earth you would ever want to go. No one is there. You can't even get a McDonalds. The Antarctic is the fifth largest continent on earth and maybe 5,000 people live there, mostly in steel huts buried in the snow. There is over 5.4 million square miles, 98% covered by ice.

In the upper photo she is in the Ice Box Bar and Grill where you make your own booze on those long lonely nights and endless days. As you can see in the next photo, it helps to speak a little Penguinese if you want to have any friends down there.

And finally, since she is at the very bottom of the world you can see her hanging off the bottom of the earth holding on for dear life in the last photo. Check out the feet flailing at the air. I doubt you will ever again see someone hanging off the bottom of the world like that and we thank her and her courage for undertaking such a death defying stunt.

Now don't you agree that Coltons Point has some most unusual natives of our own that have gone out and conquered some major places around the world. Polar Pam is now back in our nation's capitol and spends weekends in rehab here at the point. While she may occasionally break into a Penguin Break Dance you need not worry, no one notices here at the Point.