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Study Detects Hundreds of Low-Frequency Quakes at Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier

Antarctic sensors reveal iceberg-capsize tremors near the glacier, prompting calls for targeted monitoring.

Overview

  • Peer-reviewed research in Geophysical Research Letters cataloged 362 Antarctic glacial earthquakes between 2010 and 2023.
  • About 245 events clustered near Thwaites’ marine edge and are interpreted as icebergs capsizing after calving.
  • Many tremors coincided with periods of faster flow at Thwaites, hinting at links to changing ocean or sub-ice conditions.
  • Additional events near Pine Island Glacier occurred 30–50 miles inland, leaving their cause unresolved.
  • The team used in-continent seismic stations to detect low-frequency signals missed by global networks and urges follow-up work to gauge glacier stability and sea-level risk.