Ice-loss moves the Earth 250 miles down

[n2doc]

An international research team led by Newcastle University, UK, reveal Earth's mantle under Antarctica is at a lower viscosity and moving at such a rapid rate it is changing the shape of the land at a rate that can be recorded by GPS.

At the surface, Antarctica is a motionless and frozen landscape. Yet hundreds of miles down the Earth is moving at a rapid rate, new research has shown.

The study, led by Newcastle University, UK, and published this week in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, explains for the first time why the upward motion of Earth's crust in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula is currently taking place so quickly.

Previous studies have shown Earth is 'rebounding' due to the overlying ice sheet shrinking in response to climate change. This movement of the land was understood to be due to an instantaneous, elastic response followed by a very slow uplift over thousands of years.

more
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140511214811.htm

[leftyohiolib]

1. THERE'S THOSE MAGIC WORDS AGAIN

Antarctic Peninsula is flowing much faster than expected

[dickthegrouch]

2. Can we surmise more tectonic movement?

Are those disaster movies all strangely prescient in their depictions of wild earthquakes just before the apocalypse?

There have been much stronger quakes than usual in the pacific rim recently.

[phantom power]

3. I don't see how Antarctica and Greenland can experience that much hydrostatic rebound...

and *not* trigger some kind of substantial increases in seismic activity world wide. I've been expecting it for some time.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. No there haven't.

Humans see patterns in random noise, that isn't there.

http://www.pnas.org/content/109/3/717.full

[phantom power]

4. tangentially, I've been wondering if any of this might light off the Yellowstone caldera

that would both suck and blow.

[cstanleytech]

9. Seeing as the earth has gone through many ice ages since the last major eruption

occurred and yellowstone didnt blow big time I kinda doubt it.

[mopinko]

5. i'm pretty sure i asked about this a couple years ago here,

and i got a big "um, no"
but hey, i took physics in college.

[dickthegrouch]

6. Must have been the deniers who answered

[WheelWalker]

8. Kick