Scientists Discover a Vast Structure Hiding Beneath Antarctica's Ice

Key Points:

• Researchers led by Egidio Armadillo have identified a massive fan-shaped geological structure beneath East Antarctica, named the East Antarctic Fan-Shaped Basin Province (EAFBP), consisting of about 30 connected basins radiating from a central inland pivot point near the South Pole.
• The EAFBP likely formed before the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent, potentially influencing the tectonic separation of Antarctica and Australia, and continues to affect ice flow and landscape evolution under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
• The discovery was made by combining reconstructed rebound topography with radar, gravity, seismic, and magnetic data, revealing a radial pattern similar to a sphenochasm formed by rotational extension, where crust spreads outward like an opening fan.
• This geological feature may explain the formation of major Antarctic mountain ranges such as the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains and Transantarctic Mountains, though the exact timing and processes involved remain uncertain and require further study.
• Understanding Antarctica's hidden bedrock contours is crucial for predicting glacial movements and provides valuable insights into Earth's ancient tectonic history and the evolution of one of the planet's least accessible continents.