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NOAA Says 1997 'Bloop' Was Antarctic Icequake, Not a Sea Monster

Researchers later pinpointed the source through expanded hydrophone monitoring near Antarctica.

Overview

  • The low-frequency sound was recorded off Florida in 1997 and puzzled scientists for years.
  • Because it resembled an amplified whale call, some initially suspected an unknown giant marine creature.
  • Geographers advanced non-biological possibilities, including undersea volcanic activity and shifting tectonic plates.
  • NOAA’s PMEL identified the cause in 2005 after deploying hydrophones closer to the Southern Ocean, tracing it to an iceberg calving event.
  • Recent coverage reiterates the icequake conclusion, notes links to increasing calving with warming, and highlights continuing online skepticism.