6 mysterious structures hidden beneath the Greenland ice sheet

[Judi Lynn]

By Stephanie Pappas about 11 hours ago

Nearly 2 miles thick in places, the ice sheet hides a landscape of canyons, mountains, fjords and gem-like lakes.



There are many hidden wonders beneath Greenland's ice sheet.
(Image credit: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group)

Fridtjof Nansen, the leader of the first expedition to cross Greenland, once described what he found in the Arctic as "the great adventure of the ice, deep and pure as infinity." Nansen, who made his journey in 1888, could not have known of the wonders hidden below the icy landscape beneath his skis.

Today, thanks to radar and other technologies, the part of Greenland that sits below its 9,800-foot-thick(3,000 meters) ice sheet is coming into focus. These new tools reveal a complex, invisible landscape that holds clues to the past and future of the Arctic.

The world's longest canyon



3D view of the subglacial canyon, looking northwest from central Greenland. (Image credit: J. Bamber, University Bristol)
The Greenland ice sheet hides the longest canyon in the world.

Discovered in 2013, the canyon stretches 460 miles (740 kilometers) from the highest point in central Greenland to Petermann Glacier on the northwest coast. That's significantly longer than China's 308-mile-long (496 km) Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the longest canyon on the planet that you can actually see.

The canyon plunges up to 2,600 feet (800 m) deep in places and is 6 miles (10 km) wide. For comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona averages about 1 mile (1.6 km) deep and 10 miles (16 km) across.

Parts of the canyon may route meltwater from beneath the ice sheet to the sea. It probably formed before the ice sheet and was once the channel for a mighty river.

More:
https://www.space.com/landscapes-hidden-greenland-ice-sheet?utm_source=notification

[Ilsa]

1. And I was hoping for interstellar ships and

other signs of intelligent life!

There was a book series where space craft were buried under Greenland, IIRC.

The possibility for canyons, etc, is very interesting, though.

[stopdiggin]

5. I jumped at the "mysterious structures" too

then I saw, Judi Lynn, and thought - "OK, now I'm going to have to grant some validity ..." But first it was, "Geez - don't tell me there's a Stonehenge and pyramid mounds there too .. !"

[Judi Lynn]

6. The "structures" threw me! Thank you. 👋

[niyad]

2. With the rapidly expanding technologies, we are going to be stunned at what we

will discover. It is an exciting prospect.

[JoeOtterbein]

3. K n R ! Thanks for posting!

Super duper cool!

[Judi Lynn]

7. Thanks for taking the time. ⭐️

[Hekate]

4. Wow -- thaks, Judi Lynn

Always love your Science articles when I see them.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Thanks, so much! ❤️️