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Scientists discover giant fan-shaped structure beneath Antarctica's ice sheet: The hidden structure rewriting Earth's ancient history
The Times of India • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered a massive fan-shaped geological structure beneath East Antarctica's ice, named the East Antarctic Fan-Shaped Basin Province (EAFBP), linking several underground basins into one continent-scale system.
- The structure formed through distributed rotational extension, where the continental crust stretched outward from a central point, creating wedge-shaped basins, and may be one of the largest examples of this process.
- This discovery reshapes understanding of East Antarctica's geological history, suggesting more intense crustal deformation than previously thought, and ties into the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.
- The hidden bedrock structure influences current ice flow and glacier movement, providing crucial data for modeling Antarctica's ice sheet response to climate change and projections of global sea-level rise.
- Further research is needed to determine the exact formation timeline and forces behind the structure, highlighting that Antarctica still holds significant geological secrets beneath its ice.
