East Antarctica is not well known. Researchers have to look beneath kilometers of blanketing ice to study this remote part of the continent.
A team of scientists from the European Space Agency and the British Antarctic Survey have done this for a new study.
The geological makeup of the elusive edge of East Antarctica was revealed by innovative techniques. New insights into the hidden geology of the South Pole are provided by the data they have gathered.
The international team behind the study flew over East Antarctica using devices which measure changes in the magnetic and gravity signatures produced by the different rocks hidden beneath the ice. They were able to determine the characteristics of the rocks with the data they gathered.
The area of ancient rocks the size of the UK that was thought to make up part of East Antarctica's coast is completely missing, to the surprise of the team. The embayment they found was made up of younger rocks. This suggests that less of East Antarctica was formed than was thought.
The basis of a wide range of research will be formed by the consequences of this finding. It will help researchers understand how the ancient geology of East Antarctica affects the flow and stability of the modern ice sheet.
It is as if a huge bite has been taken out of East Antarctica according to Dr. Tom Jordan, lead author of the study. The opening of the ancient Pacific Ocean about 650 million years ago is believed to have caused this. Understanding that East Antarctica isn't a single continental block changes how we think about it. The embayment in the South Pole region likely influenced how mountain ranges and volcanoes grew in the area, and the scars at the edge of where the embayment once was continue to guide the flow of the present-day ice sheet.
The study was made possible by a collaborative campaign. The main goal of the mission was to get satellite data in the polar gap region around the South Pole. A broad spectrum of science results has emerged in this previously largely unexplored frontier.
Dr. Fausto Ferraccioli is the director of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics and he said that finding out where the edge of the East Antarctic craton lies helps constrain the extent of East Antarctica in ancient supercontinents. The influence of cratons on the heat flux is important. The lower values are found on the craton side. The new data will help determine if this is the case at South Pole, with cascading implications for understanding how this affects the water that flows beneath the ice sheet.
The paper "An embayment in the East Antarctic basement constrains the shape of the Rodinian continental margin" is available to read.
More information: Tom A. Jordan et al, An embayment in the East Antarctic basement constrains the shape of the Rodinian continental margin, Communications Earth & Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00375-z Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment Citation: Scientists discover Antarctica's hidden geological past (2022, March 9) retrieved 9 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-scientists-antarctica-hidden-geological.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
