Rare underwater mud volcano discovered in Norwegian Arctic's Barents Sea
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Experts have discovered a new mud volcano in the deep icy waters of the Norwegian Arctic's Barents Sea. Surprisingly, the volcano is still active and has been oozing a cocktail of mud, liquid, and predominantly methane.
As per the University of Tromsø (The Arctic University of Norway), this unusual volcano provides a window into the Earth’s interior activity. This fascinating discovery was made in collaboration with REV Ocean.
“Exploring the seabed and discovering new methane [seeps] is like finding hidden treasures. Every time we go down to the seabed, we get the feeling that we have just begun to understand the great and incredible diversity of such [seep] systems," said Stefan Buenz, co-leader of the Advancing Knowledge of Methane in the Arctic (AKMA) expedition, in a translated statement.
Reportedly, this is only the second time a mud volcano has been discovered in Norwegian waters. The other known one is the Hkon Mosby volcano.
The new mud volcano
The team has named this newly discovered geological structure Borealis Mud Volcano. It is based at a depth of 400 meters (1,312 feet) in the Barents Sea, south of Norway's Bear Island.
It was discovered on May 7, 2023, using a remote-controlled underwater vessel named ROV Aurora. The icebreaker polar research vessel RV Kronprins Haakon launched this vessel into the deep ocean.
The mud volcano is only 7 meters (22 feet) in diameter and 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall. This volcano sits within a crater measuring roughly 984 feet (300 meters) wide and 82 feet (25 meters) deep. The researchers believe this crater was formed by a massive methane eruption 18,000 years ago, shortly after the last Ice Age.
This small submarine volcano has been ejecting a flurry of water, gas, and fine sediments from several hundred meters beneath the seabed. Ocean explorers suggest that studying the composition of this volcano could provide insights into the geological processes that occur deep beneath the Earth's crust.
Over the years, it has become home to myriad sea creatures, including sea anemones, sponges, starfish, corals, and even bacteria. These underwater mud volcanoes are difficult to find and study, but researchers believe hundreds or thousands of them could be on the ocean floor worldwide.
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