Scientists in Norway have discovered a volcano at the bottom of the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway. The unusual geological phenomenon was discovered by research vessel Kronprins Haakon with the piloted submersible vehicle ROV Aurora, according to The Arctic University of Norway (UIT). The volcano lies 70 nautical miles south of Bear Island and at a depth of 400 metres, the university further said on its website. This is the second mud volcano that has been discovered within Norwegian waters.
"Seeing an underwater mud eruption in real time reminded me how "alive" our planet is," says Professor Giuliana Panieri, expedition leader and Principal Investigator of the AKMA project, which is aimed at collecting information about methane activity in the seabed.
Methane is a greenhouse gas responsible for the rising temperature of the planet.
The newly-discovered volcano has been named The Borealis Mud Volcano. It rests inside a crater that is 300 metres wide and 25 metres deep and is most likely the result of a catastrophic, natural blow out that abruptly released massive methane just after the last glaciation period (18,000 years ago), said UIT.
The volcano has a diametre of 7 metres and is 2.5 metres high, and it continuously emits fluids rich in methane.
"We do not exclude the possibility of discovering other mud volcanoes in the Barents Sea. It is only thanks to collaborative team teamwork and advanced technology that these results can be achieved," said Professor Panieri.
Researchers said that volcanoes like these are direct windows into the Earth's interior since they erupt predominantly water and fine sediments from depths of several hundred meters to few kilometres providing a window into past environments.
UIT said that only one mud volcano exists in Norwegian waters, the Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano, that was discovered in 1995.
