{"id":193340,"date":"2025-06-18T03:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T03:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193340\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T03:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T03:17:08","slug":"buried-under-2-kilometers-of-antarctic-ice-scientists-find-a-34-million-year-old-lost-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193340\/","title":{"rendered":"Buried under 2 kilometers of Antarctic ice, scientists find a 34-million-year-old lost world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Satellite Technology Reveals a Hidden World Under East Antarctica<\/p>\n

Beneath the vast ice sheet of East Antarctica<\/strong>, scientists have discovered a stunning prehistoric landscape\u2014untouched for over 34 million years<\/strong>. This newly uncovered terrain, locked beneath nearly two kilometers of ice, offers a rare glimpse into Earth\u2019s distant past and critical insights for understanding the future of climate change<\/strong> and glacial behavior<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What Lies Beneath the Ice? A River-Carved World the Size of Wales<\/p>\n

Using advanced satellite data from Canada\u2019s RADARSAT<\/strong>, researchers from Durham University<\/strong>, led by Stewart Jamieson, detected subtle changes on the ice\u2019s surface. These variations revealed a hidden terrain below: an ancient river valley system<\/strong>, preserved since before the Antarctic Ice Sheet formed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s like uncovering a time capsule,\u201d said Jamieson. \u201cThis landscape predates the ice sheet and has remained undisturbed ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Once part of the supercontinent Gondwana<\/strong><\/a>, Antarctica was once lush with flowing rivers, dense forests, and dinosaurs. But around 34 million years ago, global temperatures dropped and glaciers began to expand, eventually burying the continent beneath a frozen layer more than 10 million square kilometers wide.<\/p>\n

How Antarctica Looked Before It Froze Over<\/p>\n

Back in the Eocene epoch<\/strong>, Antarctica\u2019s environment was drastically different. The newly mapped subglacial valleys and ridges reflect a time when rivers shaped the bedrock<\/strong> instead of glaciers. This discovery reveals that much of East Antarctica\u2019s ancient landscape remains remarkably intact.<\/p>\n

As glaciers formed and spread, areas like the Gamburtsev and Transantarctic Mountains<\/strong> became central to ice accumulation, transforming a once-green continent into the icy desert we know today.<\/p>\n

Satellite Mapping and Radio-Echo Sounding Expose Ancient Features<\/p>\n

The discovery was made possible through a combination of RADARSAT data<\/strong> and radio-echo sounding (RES)<\/strong> from the ICECAP project<\/strong>, which measures how radar waves bounce off subglacial surfaces. These tools allowed scientists to detect hidden:<\/p>\n