An ancient river landscape preserved beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet

Stewart S. R. Jamieson (), Neil Ross, Guy J. G. Paxman, Fiona J. Clubb, Duncan A. Young, Shuai Yan, Jamin Greenbaum, Donald D. Blankenship and Martin J. Siegert
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Stewart S. R. Jamieson: Durham University
Neil Ross: Newcastle University
Guy J. G. Paxman: Durham University
Fiona J. Clubb: Durham University
Duncan A. Young: University of Texas at Austin
Shuai Yan: University of Texas at Austin
Jamin Greenbaum: University of California at San Diego
Donald D. Blankenship: University of Texas at Austin
Martin J. Siegert: University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) has its origins ca. 34 million years ago. Since then, the impact of climate change and past fluctuations in the EAIS margin has been reflected in periods of extensive vs. restricted ice cover and the modification of much of the Antarctic landscape. Resolving processes of landscape evolution is therefore critical for establishing ice sheet history, but it is rare to find unmodified landscapes that record past ice conditions. Here, we discover an extensive relic pre-glacial landscape preserved beneath the central EAIS despite millions of years of ice cover. The landscape was formed by rivers prior to ice sheet build-up but later modified by local glaciation before being dissected by outlet glaciers at the margin of a restricted ice sheet. Preservation of the relic surfaces indicates an absence of significant warm-based ice throughout their history, suggesting any transitions between restricted and expanded ice were rapid.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42152-2

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