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Hidden under the thick Antarctic ice lies a hidden world of rich geological wonders that has left scientists astounded.
Scientists have discovered hidden lakes and rivers, mountains and valleys, and even the remnants of an ancient ecosystem under the fifth-largest continent in the world.
For approximately 34 million years, 90% of Antarctica has been covered by a layer of ice, which, on average, runs 2.2 kilometres deep.
In one study, scientists discovered an approximately 500 million-year-old mountain range, the Transantarctic Mountains, under the continent’s thick frozen surface.
Stretching over 2,175 miles (~3,500 km), the Transatlantic Mountains have influenced the flow of ice and its thickness for millions of years.
These ranges also form a natural divide between two geologically different regions. To its East is a billion-year-old stable craton, compared to the active rift system to the West.
Antarctica is also home to 400 subglacial lakes (liquid water trapped under ice sheets/glaciers). The largest is Lake Vostok, which lies under 4 km of ice.
The continent is endowed with a vast, complex, and interconnected system of rivers, which funnel in and out of the subglacial lakes.
In 2024, scientists unearthed the first amber fossil in Antarctica, containing the microscopic remnants of an ancient dinosaur-era rainforest that covered the continent 90 million years ago.
These geological features under the world’s largest sheet of ice hold significant information about the Earth’s geological history and our understanding of climate change.
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