• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Scientists have figured out mystery that shook the world every 90 seconds for 9 days in 2023

Home> News> Science

Published 13:23 5 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Scientists have figured out mystery that shook the world every 90 seconds for 9 days in 2023

The seismic signal was spotted every 90 seconds for nine days, now we know why

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

For nine days in September 2023 the world was shook every 90 seconds by a seismic signal, and then a month later the phenomenon repeated itself.

It's the job of a scientist to get to the bottom of mysterious seismic activity and now, researchers from the University of Oxford have worked out what actually happened.

They explained in a release that studies had suggested the cause was a couple of 'mega-tsunamis' triggered by a glacier warming and triggering landslides near a Dickson fjord, East Greenland.

Advert

The theory suggested that the waves of the mega-tsunami got stuck in the fjord and set off the signals, and now the mystery has been solved.

It's all thanks to them measuring the height of the Earth's surface, which includes the ocean, by seeing how long it takes for a radar pulse sent by a NASA satellite to reach the planet and return.

Scientists used a new NASA satellite to work out what happened (NASA)
Scientists used a new NASA satellite to work out what happened (NASA)

By doing this the scientists could spot the differences in water height and map out the waves.

Study co-author Thomas Monahan said that data was captured by a Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite and said the technology was a 'game changer' in spotting what was going on with the thing that covers about 70 percent of the planet's surface, and warned of the dangers of climate change.

Advert

He said: "Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes. These extremes are changing the fastest in remote areas, such as the Arctic, where our ability to measure them using physical sensors is limited.

"This study shows how we can leverage the next generation of satellite earth observation technologies to study these processes. SWOT is a game changer for studying oceanic processes in regions such as fjords which previous satellites struggled to see into."

Professor Thomas Adcock, who co-authored the study, added: "This study is an example of how the next generation of satellite data can resolve phenomena that has remained a mystery in the past.

"We will be able to get new insights into ocean extremes such as tsunamis, storm surges, and freak waves. However, to get the most out of these data we will need to innovate and use both machine learning and our knowledge of ocean physics to interpret our new results."

Advert

Proving their theory, the scientists connected the seismic activity to observations in small movements of the Earth's crust a very long way away, meaning they could reconstruct the wave even during the moments the satellite didn't see.

Sea, space and science. Splendid.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

Topics: Science, World News, NASA, Global Warming

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

13 hours ago
14 hours ago
  • 13 hours ago

    There's a worrying reason behind why some people enjoy watching true crime to relax, psychologist warns

    Having a slight obsession with true crime titles could be a sign of some mental health obstacles

    News
  • 13 hours ago

    Meaning behind why people sometimes get small white spots across their bodies

    They can sometimes have serious complications...

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Moment of death was recorded for first ever time and reveals what our final thoughts could be

    Thinking about what happens when we die is enough to keep most people awake at night

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Campaigners issue fresh warning over two orcas ‘at risk of death’ after being kept in abandoned theme park

    One of the orcas has spent nearly a quarter of a century in captivity

    News
  • Scientists have just figured out the insane effects on your brain when you don't use your phone for three days
  • Update on 'Doomsday Glacier' that could have devastating effects as scientists disclose if it's likely to collapse
  • Scientists reveal how likely doomsday scenario that would see whole Earth swallowed is and how we could avoid it
  • Terrifying update issued on ‘Doomsday Glacier’ that would have major impact on world if it collapsed