A hidden lake beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet unexpectedly drained more than a decade ago, fracturing the ice surface and forming a large crater — an event only recently uncovered by Earth-observing satellites.

A huge flood triggered by the rapid draining of a lake beneath the Greenland ice sheet occurred with such force that it fractured the ice above and burst out across its surface.

A massive flood that breached the Greenland ice sheet in 2014 created a huge crater that is now being researched, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Wednesday. Approximately 90 million cubic metres of water from an underground lake are said to have shot out of the ground within 10 days,