The earth shakes 85,000 times because the 'fire monster' under the sea rises

Scientists have found the mysterious cause behind a series of earthquakes lasting from August 2020 to now: A fire monster hibernating in the cold waters of Antarctica suddenly woke up.

A seismologist from the German Center for Geosciences Research (GFZ) (based in Potsdam), described to Live Science that the source of the tremors was a magma "finger" poking the Earth's crust. . Similar situations have been recorded in several parts of the planet but this is the first time recorded in this icy sea.

The strange phenomenon that caused 85,000 large and small earthquakes since August 2020 originated by Orca Seamount, an dormant volcano 900 meters high, located at the bottom of Bransfeld Strait, a narrow lane between the Southern Islands Shetland (in Antarctica) and the northwestern tip of the Antarctic continent.

"Fire Monster" Orca Seamount

In this area, the Phoenix tectonic plate is diving below the Antarctic continental plate, creating a network of fault zones, which in turn leads to complex geological activities.

Scientists at the King George Island research station in the South Shetland were the first to record small earthquakes. They quickly connected with colleagues around the world, collating data from nearby geological stations and from satellites in Earth's orbit.

According to Science Alert, the puzzle pieces have led to a series of related earthquakes, of which the two strongest ones were in October 2020 with 5.9 magnitude and November 2020 with 6 Richter magnitude. Then the geological activity waned. The study also showed that these tremors moved the ground on King George Island by up to 11 centimeters.

Only 4% of that displacement is directly explained by earthquakes. Doubts about the movement of magma deep underground grew, and since then they have determined the culprit is the "fire monster" Orca Seamount - which has silently awakened.

However, to date, there has been no direct evidence of an eruption recorded. So scientists will send a research team directly to the strait, measure the sea floor, compare with previous maps to reinforce the discovery.

The study has just been published in the scientific journal Communication Earth & Environment.