Vast Hidden Structure Discovered Beneath Antartica
Nautilus | Science • • science
Key Points:
- An international team of geoscientists has discovered a nearly continent-sized network of hidden basins two miles beneath Antarctica, named the East Antarctic Fan-shaped Basin Province.
- This megabasin includes smaller basins such as the Wilkes and Aurora basins, as well as Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake, previously studied independently but now recognized as part of a single structure.
- The fan-shaped formation was created by the Earth’s crust spreading from a point near the South Pole before the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, influencing the separation of Antarctica and Australia.
- This hidden geological network directly affects the flow of Antarctica’s ice sheets, making its study essential for understanding and predicting the impact of climate change on the southern ice cap.
- The discovery highlights the continued presence of large, previously unknown geological features beneath Earth's surface, offering new insights into the continent’s geological history and ice dynamics.