Scientists Uncover Why Antarctica Became Engulfed by Ice Millions of Years Before the Arctic
Researchers said mantle-wave uplift raised eastern Antarctica above a key elevation threshold, helping the East Antarctic ice sheet form while the Arctic remained ice-free.
- A study published Thursday in Science reveals ancient geological processes allowed the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to form about 34 million years ago, despite Earth being around 5 degrees Celsius warmer than today.
- Continental breakup triggered "mantle waves"—slow-moving disturbances deep within Earth—that uplifted the Gamburtsev Mountains, creating high ground where snow and ice could accumulate year-round, Gernon explained.
- By about 34 million years ago, nearly 90 per cent of the Gamburtsev region exceeded the critical elevation threshold of about 4,920 to 6,560 feet, allowing permanent ice to gain a foothold, Gernon stated.
- Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic lacked the terrain to reach necessary elevations for permanent ice, preventing large ice sheets from stabilizing there for another 25 million years because the North Pole sits in the Arctic Ocean.
- "Our study underscores the importance of the interaction of changing climate and changing topography," University of Southampton researcher Thea Hincks said, indicating internal geological processes shaped long-term climate history.
14 Articles
14 Articles
They discover why Antarctica froze millions of years before the Arctic: the present relief of Eastern Antarctica was born from underground heat. A group of scientists simulated the tectonic movement of the last 100 million years, discovering that gigantic rock currents pushed the crust upwards. This violent geological thrust generated peaks higher than 2,000 meters high. This altitude proved crucial, as it retained winter snow and detonated the …
Why Antarctica froze millions of years before the Arctic – new research
East Antarctica hosts the largest ice sheet on Earth, containing enough water to raise global sea levels by 52 metres, were it to fully melt. Yet it has puzzled scientists for decades how and why this ice sheet formed. In fact, there are two interlinked mysteries. First, Antarctica became covered in ice around 34 million years ago – a period known as the Eocene-Oligocene transition – while the Arctic region stayed largely ice-free for another 25…
Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic
Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ice sheet could form when Earth was around 5°C warmer than today.
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