Sudden drainage, via massive chasm, of Subglacial lakes in Greenland described as catastrophic

Sudden drainage, via massive chasm, of Subglacial lakes in Greenland described as catastrophic.

“In some ways, ice behaves like Silly Putty—if you push up on it slowly, it will stretch; if you do it with enough force, it will crack,” said Stevens. “Ordinarily, pressure at the ice sheet surface is directed into the lake basin, compressing the ice together. But, essentially, if you push up on the ice sheet and create a dome instead of a bowl, you get tension that stretches the ice surface apart. You change the stress state of the surface ice from compressional to tensional, which promotes crack formation.”