Melting Greenland Ice Cap Causing Earthquakes

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The quakes occur when the massive pieces of ice break away from the bedrock under them. Although the quakes aren't large or dangerous, it's the first time that any have been recorded in this area of the world. Professor Robert Corell, director of the global change programme at Washington's Heinz Centre, said "These earthquakes are not dangerous in themselves but the fact that they are happening shows that events are happening far faster than we ever anticipated."

He has flown over the Ilulissat glacier, where "gigantic holes" have opened since the 1960s, when he first observed the glacier. The holes, or moulins, are 10 to 15 metres across, and there are hundreds of them. Vast amounts of melt water are pouring through them, and ice-penetrating radar shows that the water has formed a lake 500 metres deep. The water is also acting as a lubricant for the glacier, which is moving at a rate of two metres an hour. "That means that this one glacier puts enough fresh water into the sea in one year to provide drinking water for a city the size of London for a year."

The Greenland ice cap, which is 3km thick. has enough water to raise global water levels by seven metres. Scientists who have been monitoring the changes say that that the rapid melting, and movement of the glaciers makes last February's predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change too low. Prof Correll said that the predictions were based on two-year-old information and are much too conservative. The predicted rise in ocean levels for this century was from 20cm to 60cm, but some now believe it might be as much as two metres, a disaster in the making for coastal regions.