Lost world unearthed beneath Antarctica ice after 34 million years
15 June 2025, 00:59 | Updated: 15 June 2025, 01:04
A lost ancient world, likely once home to rivers and forests, has been discovered under a mile of ice in Antarctica.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
A vast ancient landscape, untouched for more than 34 million years, has been discovered buried beneath more than a mile of ice in Antarctica.
The area covers around 12,000 square miles and is situated in a remote inland region in east Antarctica called Wilkes Land.
Thought to be the size of Belgium, scientists uncovered the region using satellite data and ice-penetrating radar.
They have reported it once featured rivers, forests, and possibly even palm trees.
Read more: Leaders share healthcare and efficiency hopes for AI at British-Irish Council
Read more: Newly discovered ‘Dragon Prince’ dinosaur rewrites history of T.rex
In fact, pollen from palm trees has previously been found along the nearby Antarctic coast, providing striking evidence of a once-lush environment.
"It's like uncovering a time capsule," said Professor Stewart Jamieson, lead author of the study from Durham University.
"The land underneath the East Antarctic ice sheet is less well-known than the surface of Mars.
"We're investigating a small part of that landscape in more detail to see what it can tell us about the evolution of the landscape and the evolution of the ice sheet."
Scientists have uncovered the hidden land beneath Antarctica's thick ice sheet, revealing towering ridges and deep valleys frozen in place for millions of years.
The study identified three big blocks of elevated ground, each measuring between 75 and 105 miles long and up to 53 miles wide, separated by valleys as wide as 25 miles and plunging nearly 3,900 feet deep.
Slow movement of the glaciers has preserved the landscape in remarkable detail.
Scientists refer to this as a 'cold-based' ice sheet, meaning the ice is frozen to the ground and causes minimal erosion.
"It is remarkable that this landscape, hidden in plain sight for many years, can tell us so much about the early and long-term history of the East Antarctic ice sheet," said Neil Ross, professor of environmental geophysics at Newcastle University and a co-author of the study.
"It also helps us understand how it might evolve in response to future climate change."
Jamieson continued: "What we find is an ancient land surface that has not been eroded by the ice sheet, and instead it looks like it was created by rivers before the ice came along.
"We'll continue exploring the landscape, doing our best to fill in gaps where surveys don't exist, and using that information to understand how the ice sheet and its underlying landscape have changed over their long history."
