In a dramatic and unexpected event, a hidden lake beneath Greenland’s ice sheet burst upward in 2014, unleashing around 90 billion liters of meltwater. The immense pressure tore through 85 meters of ice, leaving behind a two-square-kilometer crater and scattering ice blocks up to 25 meters high across the landscape. Unlike typical meltwater flows that travel beneath the glacier, this flood surged vertically, fracturing the surface from below. Scientists say this rare phenomenon challenges long-held assumptions about subglacial water movement and highlights new risks posed by climate change as warming increases the likelihood of similar explosive events in the future.
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