International Team Finds 2-Mile-Deep East Antarctic Basin Linked to Glacier Flow
Updated
Updated · The Economic Times · Jun 24
International Team Finds 2-Mile-Deep East Antarctic Basin Linked to Glacier Flow
2 articles · Updated · The Economic Times · Jun 24
Summary
A fan-shaped basin system buried beneath about 2 miles of East Antarctic ice has been identified by an international team led by the University of Genoa.
Researchers mapped the hidden structure by combining radar, gravity, magnetic, seismic and topographic data, a necessary approach because more than 99% of Antarctica’s bedrock remains inaccessible under ice.
The basin’s boundaries appear to line up with major glaciers including Totten, Vanderford, Denman, Frost and Amery, suggesting the buried geology helps channel where ice moves.
That matters beyond ancient tectonics: deep basins below sea level can be more exposed to warmer seawater, potentially increasing long-term melting and improving models of future sea-level risk.
Scientists also say the structure may preserve evidence of how Antarctica separated from Australia during Gondwana’s breakup, reshaping views of East Antarctica’s geological foundation.
This hidden basin makes Antarctica's ice more vulnerable. Is this the tipping point for irreversible global sea-level rise?
A continent-sized basin was just found under the ice. What other massive secrets does our planet's hidden geology hold?
How does a 150-million-year-old scar beneath Antarctica now dictate the future of our modern coastal cities?
Uncovering the East Antarctic Fan-Shaped Basin Province: Implications for Tectonics, Ice Sheet Behavior, and Global Sea Levels
Overview
A major breakthrough in Antarctic research has revealed the East Antarctic Fan-Shaped Basin Province (EAFBP), a vast geological structure hidden beneath the ice. This discovery, made possible by advanced imaging technologies, shows that deep tectonic processes shaped a fan-shaped landscape, unifying several previously known subglacial features like the Wilkes, Aurora, and Lake Vostok basins. The sheer scale and complexity of the EAFBP highlight a much more dynamic geological past for East Antarctica than previously thought, opening a new chapter in understanding the continent’s hidden history and its impact on ice flow and global sea levels.