In East Antarctica , a vast mountain range is hidden beneath thousands of meters of water ice where it ’s been trapped for millions of years . Soviet scientists first discovered this geological wonder back in the 1950s , but fresh research is continuing show that this subglacial landscape is truly gonzo .
The frozen titans beneath the ice are known as theGamburtsev Subglacial Mountains , located up to 3.1 kilometers ( just under 2 miles ) beneath the open of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet , the turgid ice weather sheet on this planet .
This vast web of jumpy peaks and ridges stretches for around 1,200 kilometers ( 745 Admiralty mile ) and reaches heights of 3,400 meters ( 11,155 feet ) , meaning it rivals many of the greatmountainsthat live on Earth ’s control surface without a shield of internal-combustion engine .
A radar image showing the Gamburtsev mountain range under layers of ice.Image credit:Creyts et al/Geophysical Research Letters/2014(CC BY 4.0)
Its sizing and stature are something of a head - scratcher . After millions of years of erosion , why has n’t it been tamed into a smoother , more subtle mountain range ? How have the peak and vale manage to be so pristinely preserved within the depth of the continent ?
In a new work , geologists from the University of Tasmania and Macquarie University look back at its potential ancestry to infer why . It ’s not potential to dig through the methamphetamine to seize sampling now from the rocks , the team had to rely on more inventive method .
They release to tinycrystals of zirconfound in sandstone deposits located hundreds of km away within sediment carried by ancient rivers that once flow from the now - buried plenty over 250 million age ago . Because zircon hold back uranium , which decays into lead at a predictable pace , researchers can use these crystals as raw clocks to redo the timeline of ancient geologic event .
Their work divulge evidence that the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains were create around 500 million year ago when the supercontinent Gondwana was form bytectonic denture crashing together .
Just like the organization of more “ normal ” mess , the tectonic platespushed up against each other , causing the edge to agitate upward and rumple . However , the rest of the story is n’t so distinctive .
As the mountains come up and the crust grew slurred and hotter , the integral system became unstable and too hard to support itself . finally , it began to give way under its own weighting .
Deep beneath the surface , heated rocks moderate and started to guck outward . This sideways flow , known as gravitative spreading , caused constituent of the mountain chain to sag and collapse . Yet despite this surface flop , a massive root of thickened crust remained anchored deep in the solid ground , reaching down into the mantle below .
A whole continent made of upstanding ground is beneath Antarctica ’s ice tabloid . Scientists areconstantly mapping its topologywith the latest mental imagery techniques , but as this latest study shows , this colossal hide landscape isfull of surprises .
The study is release in the journalEarth and Planetary Science Letters .
